


Sunny Daze

by H3y_AssButt01



Category: Uncharted, Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Action, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Slow Burn Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:55:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 81,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25472005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H3y_AssButt01/pseuds/H3y_AssButt01
Summary: A Northern man unexpectedly meets a Southern woman in a feat to save his life with the help of friends and his brother. Suddenly he finds himself having to choose between the the thing he needs and the thing he wants...(OC insert to Uncharted 4's storyline)Let me know what you think :)
Relationships: Sam Drake x OC - Relationship, Sam Drake/OC, Sam Drake/Reader, Samuel Drake x OC, Samuel Drake/OC, Samuel Drake/Reader
Comments: 23
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

****

I sighed, knocking on the hotel door as I adjusted the weekend bags over both my shoulders, hoping that Nathan  _ fucking  _ Drake hadn’t once again called for me just to do research. Or to break into or solve something… My best friend had a tendency to call and have me leave at the drop of a hat for something I could’ve done from my computer at home. Nate would call on me because I could solve most puzzles and mechanisms he got stumped on during jobs. Any time he had a robbery job, I was that voice in his ear telling him where to go and what to do. Lights out? I’d handle it. Bypass security? I got you. I even assisted on treasure hunts sometimes. I was also pretty good with hand to hand combat and weapons. And none of this was legal by any means but it was a job. Better than the one I currently have…

****

I shook the thoughts of doubt quickly as the door knob began to twist. I crossed my arms raising a thick but shapely brow when he opened the door. “Sunny!” He exclaimed, embracing my teeny frame in his hefty arms. I returned the hug reluctantly, rolling my eyes and lazily patting him on the back.

“What do you want, Nate?” I asked tactlessly, my voice thick with a southern drawl.

“Oh, c’mon! All these years... You’re not still mad about—”

“ _ Yes, I’m still mad about it, Nathan! _ ” I exclaimed but he placed a few fingers over my mouth to shush me and hurried me inside the room.

“Shut up! People can hear you out there!” He said, closing the door behind me as I stared at him incredulously. Standing in the room was that sweet tall old man that I’d recognize anywhere. His silver hair well kept as always and his mustache trimmed to perfection. It was amazing the man was in such great shape at his age. A smile crawled across my lips as I set down my bags by the couch and opened my arms to him.

“ _ Sullivan, you son of a bitch! _ ” I laughed as we approached each other.

****

“Get over here, kid!” He said, ashing out his cigar and hugging me with a tight familial hug. “How are ya, Sunny?”

“Same ol’, same ol’. Jet’s got me workin’ the bar and waitressin’ now mostly. Way better than stage in my opinion. A couple of hecklers with wanderin’ hands now n’ then but…. nothin’ I can’t handle!” I smirked with a simple shrug. He huffed and shook his head.

“I do really wish you’d find somewhere else to work. It’s no place for a smart woman like you.” He told me, sitting back down at the table with a grunt.

“You n’ I both know why I can’t do that, Sully…” I said softly, looking into his blue eyes helplessly. He sighed, nodding.

“I know…” he said solemnly and I placed a consoling hand on his shoulder before noticing the silhouette of the man outside on their balcony, smoking a cigarette. Nathan approached me as he noticed my stare and leaned in.

****

“So… long story short…… that’s my brother…” he told me carefully and I gasped. I looked at him with my big brown eyes, covering my mouth.

“ _ Get out- really?! _ ” I exclaimed in a hushed tone. He nodded. I shook my head in disbelief. “You had a  _ brother?! _ This whole time and you never told me?  _ Me?! _ ”

“If it makes you feel any better, Elena doesn’t know either…” he spoke with a look of guilt as he glanced down and played with the cuticles on his fingers. I gasped again and punched him in the arm. Hard.

“ _ You haven’t even told your wife?! _ Nathan—” I began but he waved me off.

“Yeah, Yeah, I know: I’m a piece of shit.” He mumbled. I looked to Sully with the same shocked expression.

“Did  _ you _ know about this?” I asked him. He pursed his lips and shrugged.

“Sorry, kid.”

“Oh my god—” I scoffed. “So...what’s this all about?” I asked just as his brother had turned around. My stomach flipped as his eyes met with mine for a brief second and Nathan pulled me away to his room to explain.

“Did you bring the stuff?”

“Yeah I brought the stuff- now quit yer  _ bullshittin’ _ and tell me what’s goin’ on! You got me all the way out here in Italy for  _ what?! _ ” I snapped, beginning to lose my patience. And I didn’t have much. 

****

He explained to me the story of his brief time in a Panamanian jail; how it was supposed to be a quick in and out before things went sideways, and how he thought his brother had died there years ago. My eyes widened with every detail and eventually I leaned against the dresser with my arms crossed; just trying to digest all that he told me. “So…. Rafe Adler,  _ killed _ a guard and Sam got stuck doin’ the time while you got away? How’d he get out if they had it in for him so bad…”

“He escaped with his cellmate, Hector Alcázar, who’s some big mafia... drug lord figure. He arranged a jailbreak and took my brother with him. Now he wants half of our findings as payment for Sam’s freedom.” He said, worriedly. I stared at a dirty spot in the shoddy carpeting and nodded my head slowly, fidgeting with my fingers. This was indeed a lot to take in.

“And you need  _ my help _ for this?” I asked. 

“I didn’t know who else to call...” He said knitting his brows together. Obviously, I was going to help him. He was my best friend and I’d do anything for him. Helping him save his brother was the  _ least _ I could do for all that he’d done for me in my life. I nodded, biting on my lower lip.

“Well first… I need a drink…and a cigarette…” was all I could come up with in response. I slipped by my best friend and went back to the common area, pulling a stick from the packet in my jacket pocket with my teeth, my bestie trailing at my heels.

****

Sully and Nathan’s brother sat at the table holding a casual conversation, huddled over the table with their drinks as I entered the room, lighting the cigarette and placing my hands on my hips, staring at the pair. They both looked at me as I sat down at the table and poured myself a drink. I took a long sip and set my glass on the table. And then I looked directly at Sam, his hazel eyes widened as I gave him the meanest mug possible. “If Nate gets hurt by this…  _ in any way _ other than a bruise or a scratch, so help me God,  _ I will kill you before Alcázar gets the chance. _ Do I make myself clear… Samuel?” I seethed, pointing my burning cigarette at him, my eyes never wavering. He blinked at me and back to Sully as Nathan sat down to join us, maps, papers, and books in his hands.

“And she means it, boy...” Sully added cautiously, twisting his cigar between his fingers. Sam cleared his throat and leaned back in his seat.

“Crystal.” He responded simply, a Boston accent dripping from his lips.

“Fantastic. Now… what’s the plan?” I asked as the younger Drake placed everything on the table before us.

“I guess we’ll bring you up to speed.” Nathan said with a small smile. “Uh Sam, this is my best friend… Sunny Spurrs.”

**_  
  
_ **

After about an hour, I was caught up with everything going on and we planned our strategy to steal a St. Dismas cross from the Rossi Estate black market auction happening in three days. Everyone began to peel off to catch some shut eye, except the eldest Drake and myself. He walked off to take a smoke break and I was inclined to join him after I’d finished my drink. I took a long hard look at him as I sat alone at the table. He was lanky and  _ very  _ tall. But I was super short so everybody seemed tall to me. His shoulders were broad, his chest, back, and arms strapped tight with muscles beneath his loosely fitted white tee shirt. His thick brown locks were pushed back off of his face and a circled flock of four birds was tattooed on the side of his neck. I’d almost call him attractive if I weren’t so pissed at him for dragging Nathan into this. He seemed okay talking around the table but something just didn’t sit right with me. Like he was hiding something. ‘ _ Imma figure out what eventually…. _ ’ I thought as I stood to have another cigarette. I walked over to the concreted railing to stand uncomfortably close to this brother without a word. It didn’t take long for him to attempt to break the awkward silence. 

****

“So… Ms. Sunny Spurrs, how long have you known my little brother? Y’know, what's your story?” He asked, pressing his thumb into his palms as he looked out at the moonlit water.

“Well...I uh… went to MIT. Graduated... life got hard afterwards and I ended up moving back to Texas doin’ office work. Which sucked.” I began and he let an amused chuckle escape his mouth before taking a quick drag. I smirked as I continued. “So I got bored… To spice things up, I kinda sorta maybe hacked into the company’s funds and…. I’m sure you can imagine how  _ that _ shit turned out.” I smirked. He let out a light chuckle; smoke left his nostrils as I continued. “I had to leave town; got a whole new identity… Long story short, Nate showed up at my shit job and offered me a better one. We’ve been friends ever since. He calls on me for a few jobs and some assistance once in a while.”

****

“Aha….” He scratched at the stubble on his cheek and narrowed his eyes at me as if he were sizing me up. “And what is it that you’re doing here? No offense, sister, but I told Nathan I don’t trust anybody on his contact list with my life (which includes you) and I don’t know you from a can of paint.” The smile on his face was more sarcastic than anything. Like he was politely asking me to fuck off in but so many words. I forced a laugh. The fact that he thought he could even remotely intimidate me amused the hell out of me.

****

“And  _ I  _ don’t know  _ you _ . But I’ve known your brother for the better part of the 15 years you’ve been away so I don’t think you have any rights in questioning my abilities because  _ I don’t have to help you. _ ” I fired back long windedly, crossing my arms as smoke exhaled from my nostrils. He raised a thick brow and chuckled.

“You got spunk, lady. I like it.” He put out his cigarette and adjusted his pants. My nostrils flared up as I took deep controlled breaths. I never met a man sassier than me but I guess I couldn’t say that anymore. “We’re doin’ recon in the morning. I suggest you get some beauty sleep.” He smirked heading to his room and closing the door, leaving me with the couch.

“ _ Dick… _ ” I mumbled to myself as I tossed my cigarette over the balcony and started towards the couch. I landed on it wondering if I was supposed to be here. I found myself wondering that a lot lately. After every job, I always felt a sense of slight fulfillment. It never lasted long though. I was never satisfied and always looking for a job to do. If it weren’t for Nate, I’m sure I’d be in a helluva lot more trouble than where I was. It was that thought alone that made me feel like I was okay. I was going to give 110% to help him save his brother. Then we’d be even. I let myself drift off as the whiskey began to take effect, falling into a tipsy, dreamless slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Sam’s POV_ **

I woke up with a headache and creaky joints. As I sat up from my bed, I took a deep breath enjoying the air that wasn’t of the prison variety. There was a beautiful view of Italy outside my open window and I couldn’t have been more enthusiastic for the day ahead. I stood from my bed, stretching my arms and rolling my shoulders to loosen up as I gathered my things to go shower. As I passed through the living room, I noticed the little woman from last night curled up on the couch, using her jacket as a pillow, still clad in last night's clothing. With curiosity and stealth, I made my way over to peek at her from the other side of the doorway. I stared down at her slender face, her tanned skin peppered with freckles across her cheeks and down her button nose. Her eyes were big and lush with thick lashes, her lips rounded and stained a deep pink; Her hair was short, dark, and pin curled and her thin, muscular arms folded in front of her curvy but small frame as she snored lightly. She really was quite beautiful. She looked something like a 1920’s starlet. I could feel a light pang in my chest and it spooked the hell outta me. Not really knowing how to feel about it, I pushed on down the hallway to shower. I realized I sort of stuck my foot in it last night with her. Like Victor, she just wanted to protect my little brother, which I guess I should be grateful for considering I had been away for so long. Somebody had to do it.

After a  _ phenomenal _ shower, I wrapped my towel around my waist and headed back to my room to change. As I passed the common area, I stopped in my tracks. Sunny stood in the corner of the kitchenette, fixing herself a cup of coffee. At the sound of my footsteps, she turned to lock eyes with me, giving my body a once over with a smirk before taking her mug outside with a pack of cigarettes. I watched as her hips swing side to side with each dainty step she took and I could feel my ears heating up. I couldn’t help but stare at her fantastic backside as she leaned against the railing with an amused grin. Just then, I heard a door behind me open. Victor took his morning hobble to receive a coffee himself when he saw me. “Jesus, kid! Put some clothes on!” He exclaimed and Sunny turned her upper half to look at me.

“Aye! You should be so lucky as to witness a spectacle of a body such as this!” I joked as Sunny cracked a smile and turned to light her cigarette. Victor on the other hand just grunted and waved me off. Prison dimmed my sense of modesty greatly. If they saw it, they just saw it. No skin off my back.

With a chuckle, I continued on to my room to get dressed. I had to look somewhat nice going undercover as we scouted the area around the estate as tourists so I opted for a light blue collared shirt. The plan Nathan came up with was for Victor and himself to go look by the front end and Sunny and I on a boat across the water, checking out the back to the best of our abilities. I figured since we’d be spending the day together that I should apologize. I knew I was in a heap of trouble and in all honesty could use all the stable help I could get. When I left to go fix myself a cup of coffee like the rest of my “roommates”, I looked around for Sunny but she wasn’t there. “She’s in the shower.” Victor mumbled, opening up the morning newspaper.

“Can you even read that thing, Sullivan?” I chuckled, grabbing a mug from the shelf.

“For the most part. My Italian’s a bit rusty.” He replied, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.

“Well alright then. Where’s Nathan at?” I asked, looking around.

“If I know him, he’s probably still asleep.” He licked the tip of his thumb and turned a page of the newspaper as I stopped pouring my coffee.

“Christ, I’m gonna go wake him up.” I groaned in annoyance as I hurried myself to his room.

I barged into Nate’s room clapping my hands and making all the noise I possibly could. “Let’s go, little brother! Time to get up! Up, up, up!” I said sitting on his bed and shaking him. “You’re gonna sleep the whole day away, Nathan. Get up, buddy! We got shit to do today!” I was rather enthusiastic this morning for some reason. He groaned loudly, pinching the sand from the corners of his eyes.

“Alright, alright! I’m up! Jesus…” he groaned. I left the room with a satisfied grin as he sat up.

“And don’t you dare fall back asleep, Nathan, you hear me?” I nagged, looking in his direction.

“Yeah, Yeah…sheesh...” he grumbled.

As I turned to leave, I felt myself bump into something and I put my hands out to catch whatever it was. In my hands were the small damp shoulders of Sunny, head and body wrapped in fluffy white towels. I let out a sigh of relief and embarrassment. “Oh…. hey…” I said, a lump began to form in my throat.

“Howdy…” She said, making an innocent face at me as she clutched her clothes to her chest. My chest began to swell as I rubbed my neck.

“Listen… about last night… I’m sorry I came off the way I did.” I mumbled, staring into her round brown eyes. 

“It’s alright. I understand. You can’t afford to fuck this up. And it’s a family thing. I get it.” She responded and I shot her a small smile, nodding. After a few seconds, I noticed I was staring for too long and decided to abort.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” I said with a cough before pushing by her. I could hear a sweet giggle of amusement behind me as I left followed by a “Natey, I’m using your room to change!” 

He only mumbled in response and I watched her move by him and close the door. Today with her was certainly going to be interesting.

By the time everyone had showered and gotten dressed, we three men sat in the common area… waiting on Sunny. “How long is this girl gonna take? Jesus!” I voiced, standing up to light a cigarette and stand in the balcony doorway.

“Beats me.” Nate said, sipping his second cup of coffee.

“She’s a beautiful woman, Sam. Beauty like that takes time.” Victor said simply. I groaned as I took a drag of my cig, blowing the smoke outside.

“Yep, well… beauty could be  _ speedier! _ ” I shouted impatiently in the direction of Nate’s room. After a few more minutes of waiting, I could hear the door opening. “Thank fucking Christ! Let’s get this show on the…… o-on the road…” When she emerged from the room, she was dressed casually in a fitted light green dress with heels to match. Her hair seemed a little longer than I when I saw her last night. She had a fair bit of makeup; her eyes shining with eyeshadow and liner to make her eyes stand out. I felt like if I stared any harder, my eyeballs might fall out of my sockets.  _ ‘Va-va-voom…’  _ I thought as I admired the curves of her body in silence. I took a quick drag of my cigarette to cover the fact that I was choking on my own words as she sauntered by me to dig through one of her rather large bags.

“You look great, kid.” Victor complimented. She turned her head to give him a sweet smile before looking at Nathan, half asleep in his seat with a cup of coffee in his hands.

“Nate-o! Wakey wakey, baby! We gotta go. Do you guys remember the plan?” She asked, pulling a big purse from the bag and putting her belongings as well as a widescreen electronic.

“What’s that for?” I asked. I’d never seen anything like it. The way technology had grown in my absence was ridiculous. I didn’t even try to pretend to understand most of it.

“Well, it’s a tablet. I figured that if we got close enough by boat, I could hack their computer files and find a digital blueprint of the area. Y’all take one each.” She dug into her bag once more and pulled out a small plastic bag filled with tiny earpieces, holding them out for each of us to grab. I picked up the grey bud and pressed it into my ear. “With these we should be able to hear each other even across the water.” She gave each of us a small black box to put in our pockets as a receiver and she did a bit of typing on her tablet. She then dispersed the electronics and made sure they were all working before we left. 

Going down the stairs we ran over the plan again. She and I were basically undercover as a couple. ‘ _ This should be fun _ …’ I thought as we reached the front doors of the hotel, splitting off into pairs as we agreed. I walked ahead of her, swinging my keys around on my finger and adjusting my aviator sunglasses. The clicking sound of her heels trying to keep up with me was adorable. I smiled to myself when she caught up and put a hand on my arm. “ _ Slow down, dammit! _ ” She whined, her Texan accent as thick as ever. I did as she asked and slowed my roll, fiddling with my keys. “Where’s your car?” She asked me, looking down the street.

“Nate told me to rent a vehicle. Didn’t say it had to be a car.” I smirked as we approached the beautiful red bike I chose. I could hear her huffing behind me as I slapped the seat proudly. I hopped on and prepared the bike, pulling out a small white helmet for her and peered at her over my shades. “ _ What? _ ” I sighed in a moment of annoyance.

“Had I known we were taking a bike, I would’ve put on pants.” She mumbled, snatching the helmet and putting it on loosely, hiking up her skirt to reveal a lovely set of thick thighs and sit behind me on the bike. I chuckled, averting my gaze from them to the road ahead as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Hold on tight.” I told her with a devious grin and she scoffed.

‘ **_Stop flirting and get a move on will ya?!_ ** ’ I heard Sullivan shout through the coms. With that, I started up the bike and we headed into the city.

We saw the sights of Italy as I maneuvered us through crowds and traffic jams. I was feeling pretty damn good right now. I was free. Wind blowing through my hair, a beautiful girl on my bike, and I was riding through one of the most incredible cities in the world. When we reached our destination, I parked right up by a wall and lifted Sunny off of the bike (which was very easy because she was such a small woman). She hung the helmet on the handle of the bike and adjusted her skirt and hair before following me into the square. 

“I thought we were supposed to be a  _ ‘couple’ _ . You’re walkin’ too damn fast.” She nagged.

“I’m really not. You’re just short.” I replied matter of factly, looking at her. 

‘ **_Sam… just play nice._ ** ’ I heard Nate say.

“Yeah! Be nice to me!” She said, raising a brow at me, crossing her arms and tapping her tiny foot impatiently. I scoffed and rolled my eyes before offering my arm.

“C’mon,  _ honey _ .” I called, my voice dripping in sarcasm, holding out an arm for her. She strutted towards me and looped a dainty hand around my forearm. At that moment, I felt a surge of electricity as she touched me and sighed. You’d think I’d be used to the touch of a woman by now...

‘ **_You think you guys can get along for a few hours before you kill each other?_ ** ’ Nathan asked.

“I’ll behave.” Sunny said, glancing about our surroundings and putting on a pair of black framed cat eye sunglasses.

‘ **_It’s not you I’m worried about, Sunny._ ** ’ I made a face knowing Nathan couldn’t see as I heard Sullivan laughing heartily, making her smile. And it was a  _ damn _ pretty one at that. I ran my fingers through my hair and scoffed.

“Don’t worry about me, little brother. My acting is absolutely top notch.” I bragged, looking at Sunny’s skin glowing in the sun. With her being this way, I wasn’t exactly sure just how much acting I’d be doing.

“We’ll see.” She cooed, running away from me for a moment to look at the coins in the fountain. 

I smiled watching her in this setting. The sun bouncing off of her curves, her hair shining brown in the light. It was like a dream or something. Somehow she was tough as nails and yet still she seemed as if she could be so sweet. Not that I had experienced it first hand. I pulled a cigarette and lit it to calm myself as I watched her explore the area a little bit. I trailed behind her a few feet, giving her space to roam; ping pong from place to place like a hyperactive child and dance around to the street musicians. Where I fucked up was when I let her get a glimpse at the Italian boutique. I stayed as far away from that thing as possible but Sunny just  _ had  _ to go in. She stood at the racks outside of the shop, browsing through clothes and I watched as she reacted to each piece of clothing with a gentle smile on my face. I threw my head back a moment, enjoying the sun, listening to Nate and Victor’s casual conversation on the other end, and checked my surroundings when my heart stopped for a moment suddenly. I noticed a familiar face. Not a pleasant one either. He was here… _ Why _ was he here? He wasn’t supposed to be here! His hair was slicked back off of his dumb face with an amused shit eating grin, two bodyguards trailing behind him as his sights settled on Sunny. “ _ Ah, shit... _ ” I swore, briefly forgetting that I could be heard.

‘ **_What is it, kid?_ ** ’ I heard Victor say.

‘ **_What happened?_ ** ’ I heard Sunny’s twang come through. 

“It’s Rafe.” I began.

‘ **_Rafe?! Shit… What’s he doin’ here?!_ ** ’ I heard my little brother curse. 

“Sunny, don’t look up unless he comes to you, you hear me?” I said with urgency, turning my back. I saw her nod subtly, biting her lip hard as I focused all my attention on her.

‘ **_Distract him, Sunny. He’s never met you before. Sam: you get lost. Now._ ** ’ Nate barked orders over the coms and the adrenaline began to surge. I made myself scarce, jumping randomly into the bushes nearby like an idiot. I crouched low, peeking at the situation through the leaves. Rafe had turned to his bodyguards, gesturing in her direction and the two men backed off. This thing could go sideways very quickly. I pushed my hair back nervously.

“I can’t leave. Someone has to look out for Sunny!”

‘ **_Sunny can take care of herself._ ** ’ I heard her say under her breath.

“Sweetheart, you don’t know Rafe…” I tried to get her to understand just how dangerous Rafe Adler was.

‘ **_I can handle myself, Sam. If I’m gonna do this, I need it quiet on coms._ ** ’ Sunny snapped and the coms went silent. I stared across the street in the bushes, watching over her as she continued to browse the clothing, holding up a dress, and he approached her…

  
  
  


**_Sunny’s POV_ **

I skimmed through the clothing rack, my heart racing at the thought of having to flirt with several people in my ear. ‘ _ God this is embarrassing…’  _ I thought, pushing my sunglasses to the top of my head. I looked up a moment to meet with a pair of intense green eyes. He wore his hair cut close on the sides with the top gelled back off of his model-like face. Despite his slender physique, his chest and shoulders were swollen with muscle beneath his fitted black collared shirt. Him being this attractive made flirting with him all the more easier. I bat my eyelashes at him before looking back at the rack “bashfully”. When I looked up again he shot me a million dollar smile, faint dimples decorating his cheeks as he browsed a rack himself. ‘ _ What in the hell…. _ ’ I thought. He was ridiculously good looking. I sent a smile back, playing coy and holding his gaze as I wandered into the boutique. If he was smart, he’d follow me...

Inside the store were several dresses and suits. I still didn’t have anything to wear for the auction so I decided to actually browse around. I followed the racks all around the store before my eyes landed on a velvety black lace sleeve. I pulled the short black sparkling dress, checking to make sure it was my size and getting excited when it actually was. When I turned and startled myself as I bumped into someone. A hand rested on the small of my back as to keep my from tripping over my heels and I grabbed hold of a surprisingly impressive bicep. He was definitely stronger than he looked.

“Woah there! Are you okay? You’d better be careful walking around here. It’s kind of a tight fit…” he said, gesturing to the narrowness of the walkways in the store. ‘ _ Holy shit… Rafe Adler…. _ ’ I thought, slightly panicking but I had to calm down. I had a job to do and I was damn sure gonna get it done. I began to bat my lashes again and let my fingers linger on his arm a little longer. He tensed up under my touch.

“I suppose they are, huh? I’m sorry, I should’ve been more careful.” I said fidgeting with my fingers. He placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head with a smile.

“I’m just relieved you’re okay. I hope you don’t mind if I ask your name?” He asked, reaching out a hand to me.

“Sunny Spurrs…” I purred in a sultry tone as I placed mine in his, lowering my voice to make my accent less harsh.

“Rafe Adler. It’s an absolute  _ pleasure  _ to meet you…” he smirked, kissing the back of my hand with a pair of velvety smooth lips. I could hear Nathan fake a gag on the other end of coms and I giggled. Rafe was buying it. “That’s a lovely accent you have there. Southern.”

“Texas.” I smirked as I walked over to the full length mirror to hold the dress up to my body, imagining how it would look on me. “Have you ever been?”

“Never had a reason to but… I think I just found my excuse.” He answered, slickly running his eyes up and down my backside as he leaned against a nearby rack. I straightened my posture to let him get a good look and blushed when we locked eyes in the mirror. 

“Might I ask what a southern belle like yourself is doing all the way out here in Italy?”

“Isn’t it obvious?! I’m on vacation.” I whispered to him, passing by him to look at some jewelry. He followed.

“Alone?” He questioned.

“I don’t need someone else with me to enjoy a vacation. I’m a big girl, Mr. Adler, and I can handle myself.” I told him as I let my fingers ghost over a beautiful pair of earrings.

“I actually believe you.” He chuckled, seeming to marvel at me. “Perhaps you wouldn’t mind a bit of company this weekend? I uh… know a few restaurants in the area with an  _ impeccable  _ selection of wines. And the food here is amazing.”

“I don’t think I have that kind of money, Mr. Adler.” I said looking over my shoulder.

“Please, call me Rafe.” He seemed a bit nervous. “I wouldn’t mind treating a beautiful girl like you.” He told me with a dashing smile, his long lashes brushing his cheekbones. I heard Sam mocking him in my ears.

‘ **_Jesus. Talk about tryin’ too hard._ ** ’ He said and all I could do was smile and ignore him.

“Hmm… I don’t know…” I sighed, biting my lip.

“Need some convincing, huh?” He laughed and I shrugged. “Would you like to wear that dress someplace nice?”

“What did you have in mind?” I asked inching closer to him, propping myself against the same rack as him, placing a hand on my hip. I dared myself to stare him right in the eyes and his gaze softened into something young and boyish.

“There’s a business party I have to attend in a few days. An auction. I’d be honored to have a dazzling woman like yourself as my date.” He asked.

‘ **_Fuck no…_ ** ’ I heard Sam swear.

‘ **_Say yes!_ ** ’ Nathan shouted over him and I bit my lip as I gazed over Rafe’s face.

“Will there be…. champagne at this function?” I asked.

“As much as you can drink. I’m sure you’ll need it, holding conversations with those stuffy old rich people. But at least I’d be around...” He joked. I laughed to make him feel like he was funny and nodded.

‘ **_Snooze!_ ** ’ I heard Sam add. Once again, I ignored him.

“That sounds really great, Rafe. I'd love to join you.” I smiled, walking with him to the cash register to pay for my dress and earrings.

“129 euros, ma’am.” The cashier told me and I began to dig into my purse but Rafe stopped me, placing a hand on my back.

“Please. Allow me.” He said, pulling out his wallet and paying for my things. I was taken aback. No one had ever offered to pay anything for me before. Especially not this much.

“Oh,  _ bless your heart! _ You didn’t have to do that.” I said dramatically. Shit, it was money I didn’t have to spend.

“It’s no problem! Honestly, I really don’t mind.” He said with a smile as the cashier folded the dress neatly and placed it in a colorful paper bag for me. Rafe lifted the bag with a single finger and held it in my direction for me to take. “ _ Grazie _ .” He said to the cashier. With an intrigued smile, I took it from him and we walked out of the store. I gave him the name of a random hotel within walking distance from the one we stayed at and pushed a curl behind my ear.

“I’ll have my driver pick you up. 7pm on Saturday?”

“7pm on Saturday.” I nodded with a smile.

“I’ll look forward to it, Sunny…” he said, swiftly picking up my hand and kissing it again before walking away with his bodyguards nearby. I waited until he was out of sight to speak again and turned on my heels to head down the opposite direction of the street.

“Coast is clear. Let’s get our asses to that boat.” I said.

‘ **_This is not good. Not good at all._ ** ’ I heard Sam say in the earbud. I slowed my pace to give him a chance to catch up to me.

‘ **_No it’s not good, it’s great! Because now we have Rafe distracted._ ** ’ Sully said.

“I don’t think I’m an acceptable distraction to keep him from getting his hands on that cross, Sully.” I said as I stopped on a bridge, overlooking the water. I leaned over the railing and began to light myself a cigarette. Appearing from the traffic of people was Sam, his hands tucked in his pockets with a cigarette between his lips as well. He moved up next to me, slickly putting a long arm around me. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

‘ **_You’ll distract him long enough for us to get in and out quickly._ ** ’ Nathan added.

“I guess…” I said rubbing the back of my neck.

I noticed Sam staring at me, boring holes into the side of my head. “Can I help you, Samuel?” I groaned in slight annoyance.

“You weren’t really fallin’ for that were you?” He asked with a chuckle. It surprised me. If anything, I detected a hint of jealousy in his voice. I smiled.

“Why? You jealous?” I called him on it. He snorted and turned his gaze to the calming waters.

“Of the trust fund baby? Never, I just can’t believe he was bold enough to use those corny lines.” He said, taking a drag of his cigarette as I smoked mine.

“What- you think you could do any better?” I smirked. He raised a brow and gave a half nod. I turned to face him, one ankle crossed behind the other with a hand on my hip and a flirtatiously curious expression, waiting.

“What- now?” He laughed. I could see a tint of pink spread across his cheekbones.

“Well?...  _ Get on with it! _ ” I egged on with an amused smirk. He scratched the stubble on his jaw trying to contain his smile of embarrassment.

‘ **_Oh this should be good._ ** ’ I heard Sully say and my smile grew bigger while Sam shifted his feet and inched closer to me, towering over me greatly.

“Hi… my name is Sam Drake and  _ you.. are gorgeous… _ ” he spoke in a lower tone to me; Taking in a deep breath as his eyes admired my body. I shook my head with a laugh and picked up my bag. He almost got me.

“Cute.” I smirked, turning to walk away from him. He hurried to stand in front of me, flicking his cigarette away and shoving his hands in his pockets. Something had changed in the way he looked at me. Suddenly I was entranced by his bright hazel eyes.

“Does cute get me a drink or two with you?” He smiled. There was an annoyingly swept up feeling in my chest and I crossed my arms hoping the pressure would get rid of it.

“Maybe.” I responded with a chuckle.

“Then I’m cute as hell…” he told me roughly, inching his face closer to mine. I felt my lips part a bit as my heart skipped. I was ashamed to say that it actually worked on me. But I wouldn’t let him know that. With a nervous chuckle, I pulled my shades down and fixed my hair.

“We have work to do.” I said, pushing by him with a smirk. I could hear the other two laughing loudly on the other end.

‘ **_Better luck next time, kid._ ** ’ Sully said.

“Meh. Not my best work but it was worth a shot.” I heard him say as he followed behind me. Working with this man was going to be a lot harder than I thought. 


	3. Chapter 3

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

It was finally the day of the auction. Time to put the plans in motion. I felt a bit sick knowing this Rafe character was going to be touching all over me tonight but I had to get over it. I had to really sell it. I painted my nails a dark, dark purple and sighed as I looked into the bathroom mirror. I should be used to being used by men. With where I worked, I should’ve been used to it. But truthfully I wasn’t. And I don’t think I ever would be. Being a brief object of affection to Rafe only made me realize even more just how much I couldn’t trust men. Or any man. No matter how beautiful. I looked at myself, buffering out weird spots in my makeup with my finger and checking my angles, glancing at the wig perched on a styrofoam mannequin head that I had pressed and curled to perfection. As I blew on my nails to make sure they dried, I could hear Nathan talking to Sully and Sam.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.” I heard Sam say reluctantly.

“We don’t always  _ need _ guns, Sam. Honestly, it should be a quick n’ easy in and out.” Nathan’s voice assured him. I began to prepare myself, undoing my robe and slipping on my dress and heels while I listened. 

“And what about Sunny, huh? If she screws up, I’m as good as dead.”

“Don’t worry about her, Sam. She’s one of the most capable people I know and I trust her with my life. She’ll do her job and we’ll be on the right track to finding Avery’s treasure. I guarantee it.” 

“Yeah well… we’ll see.” Sam grumbled, sighing in distress. Nathan always seemed to be defending me against his brother. I guess Sam didn’t trust me just as much as I didn’t trust him. Which was fair in this business but it still hurt. I would’ve saved his ass ten times over as I would his brother and he still wouldn’t trust me. I huffed as I zipped up my dress and buttoned the top of the keyhole in the back. This dress really was gorgeous. All black sparkling lace with long sleeves and a high neck. Hugging my every curve, the scalloped hem of the dress stopped right at my thighs. I had to give it to myself. ‘ _ I clean up  _ **_real_ ** _ nice.. _ . ‘ I thought as I put on my wig, completing my look. I exited the bathroom as I pressed my earrings in, Sully staring at me as I sat down to smoke a cigarette.

“Well I’ll be goddamned…” he smiled, admiring my look. “Rafe won’t know what hit em, kid.” I smirked with a stick between my lips.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, old man.” I said, gesturing to his tailored black tie tuxedo. I light his cigar for him as I light my cigarette, noticing the brothers Drake lightly arguing over slight changes that were made to the plan earlier in the morning.

“They’ve been at it like this since we started getting ready.”

“Why?” I groaned, making an annoyed expression as I leaned back into my chair in a very “unladylike” manner. Sully gave a light chuckle as he sipped his scotch.

“To put it simply: Sam wants guns, Nate disagrees.” He said loud enough for the boys to hear and they brought their dispute inside.

“We need guns. If security’s anything like how we saw it on the boat the other day, I imagine it’ll be ten times worse tonight.” I said in a reasonable tone before taking a drag, preparing my electronics for the auction.

“ _ See! _ ” Sam exclaimed. Suddenly, everyone began trying to voice their opinions at once. Nathan waved his arms and quieted the commotion in the room.

“Hey!  _ No guns. _ And that’s final.” He said looking each one of us in the eyes. “You look great, Sunny.” He mumbled to me before stalking off to his room for a moment. I gave him a small consoling smile which he briefly returned before taking a minute to cool off in his room. Sam raked his hands through his hair in frustration, sitting down at the table, tapping his fingers nervously. I knew that tap all too well. I did it myself at times. I opened my pack of cigarettes and held it in his direction as mine dangled from my lips loosely.

“I gotta get another pack.” He sighed. “Thanks, sister.” He mumbled, taking one as he eyed me for a moment.

“Mmhmm.” I responded, making sure my handheld was prepped and ready. “Have you and Nathan secured your drop off point?” I asked, getting straight to business. He responded by nodding, lighting the cigarette. “And you have your coverups? Don’t need your dirty suits giving us away-”

“Listen, Sunny. Just make sure you’re doing your job and distracting Rafe. No more, no less—” he spat and Sully interjected.

“ _ Hey! _ ” He snapped as I hit Sam with the crazy eyes. “Cool it, boy. Before she tears you a new one.” The eldest Drake kept his eyes on me, fixing his mouth to argue but with a warning of my raised brow, he decided against it. He nodded as he made a face before standing to fix himself a drink. I checked the time on the wall clock and gathered my things to leave.

“It’s 6:45. I need to go.” I said sternly. Standing as I grabbed an ear com from it’s charging station. “Don’t forget your coms when you leave. I should be able to hear you when you’re in range.” I turned to leave, pivoting on my heel and Sully grabbed a hold of my arm.

“Kid… be careful.” He said, his voice dripping with worry. I gave him a smile and placed a hand on his shoulder, kissing his cheek and wiping away the stain with my thumb.

“I’ll be fine, Sully.” I assured him, shooting Sam a look before heading to Nate’s room. I knocked on the door and turned the knob, sticking my head inside. He sat on the bed with his head in his hands, his tuxedo jacket sitting next to him. “Natey, I’m leavin’.” I said and his head perked up at the sound of my voice. I let myself in.

“Oh. Okay…” he sighed standing up. He hugged me tightly and attempted to squeeze my cheeks but I swatted his hand away.

“You’ll ruin my makeup, stop it!” I chuckled so he settled for cradling the sides of my head. He looked at me a moment, a flicker of appreciation in his eyes.

“From womb to tomb.” He said to me. I patted his chest with a friendly grin.

“From birth to earth.” I replied.

“Thank you for this.” He told me.

“Of course, Nate-o.”

“No really. I mean it. You’re sticking your neck out for someone you just met two days ago.”

“He’s your brother, Nathan. No duh I’m gonna help. Now,” I started adjusting his tie and collar, smoothing it to perfection. “I have to go. Rafe will be pickin’ me up any minute.” I said and I kissed his cheek, trying my best not to stain his cheek as well.

“See you there.” He said after me as I left the room. “I’ll watch your 6.”

“Watch your own 6.” I chuckled.

I left the hotel, amazed by the Italian sunset as I walked down the street to the hotel I told Rafe about. I walked as quickly as possible, hearing my heels click on the concrete as I checked the time on my rhinestone wristwatch. When I arrived at the hotel, the white limousine was already outside waiting. “Shit.” I muttered, picking up my walk to a run as fast as I could in the heels I wore, racking my brain for an excuse as to why I was coming from another direction. I adjusted my hair as I approached the building, checking my makeup in the reflection of my compact before storing it away. I noticed Rafe dressed in a tuxedo with a crisp white jacket; from the looks of it, the jacket was just a hair of a size too big for his narrow shoulders. I snickered as I walked through the big glass doors, swinging my hips as I approached him checking his watch. Luckily he was expecting me from the opposite direction. With a turn of my lips I tapped him on his shoulder and he whipped his head around to gawk at me. His hard features softened at the sight of me as his eyes scanned my body from head to toe. A slick smile spread on his face and he whistled, shoving a hand in his pocket and scratching at the stubble on his chin. With a chuckle, he spoke.

“Sunny, I’ve gotta be honest with you. I’m not usually rendered speechless but you just look… spectacular. No-  _ immaculate! _ ” He took my hand in his and pressed his lips to the back of my knuckles. I cringed a bit at his sudden greasiness but played it off as flattery.

“You’re too kind, Mr. Ad- I mean, Rafe. Sorry!” I giggled feigning nerves. “You just make me so nervous…”

“Hey, there’s nothing you need to be nervous about, sweetheart.” He smirked, placing a hand on my back to guide me to the car. A limo driver rounded the vehicle and stood to open the door for us, revealing lush red interior seating. “After you.” He said as I smiled at him brightly and slid into the limo, my clutch held close to my chest, then he followed in behind me. He let out a large sigh as he settled into his seat, adjusting his blazer as he reached for the bottle of champagne sitting in the lit up ice bin beside him. He moved closer to me, holding the shiny rose gold bottle with an “A” branded into a spade.

“Armand de Brignac, Rosé. Have you ever had one of these before?” He asked me as he began to untwist the wires holding the cork in place. I shook my head with an amused smile. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“No I can’t say that I have.” I grinned.

“Well then  _ you _ … are in for a treat!” He shot me a charming smile, both of us laughing as the cork sprang from the bottle. He grabbed a glass from the hanger above the little mini bar and began to pour me a drink, the salmon-hued champagne bringing itself to a fizz and a soft foam. Then he just straight up dropped a strawberry in it.

“Well fuck…” The words just fell out of my mouth and I covered my lips in embarrassment, causing him to burst into laughter as he poured himself a glass too. “Sorry! I just… this is  _ really  _ nice.” I said, bringing my nose to the glass. I detected a hint of strawberry even in the champagne itself.

“It is comprised of three different vintages; composed solely of grapes from these wineries on French historic grounds…” he told me, easing close to me. I hummed in response to his brief teaching as I continued to smell the fruit drink. He held his glass before me with a smile. “A toast…. to history, to success; damn good champagne, and…. _ exceptionally _ beautiful women…” he smirked and we clink our glasses before sipping them gingerly, cozying up to each other in the dim lighting. As the limo began to see us to our destination, we began to share a conversation on his business at this auction and a bit about me...

  
  
  


**_Sam’s POV_ **

“Need me to get that for you, little brother?” I chuckled as I watched Nathan swing his grappling hook, estimating how he was going to get his rope to the beam beneath the bridge. We’d been stealthing around the perimeter of the estate in broad daylight. Seeing as we were the only two who couldn’t manage to get an invitation, we opted for coming in through the backside, climbing cliffs and sneaking through the outer buildings. He scoffed.

“I got it! I’ve been doin’ this for a while too, y’know.” He said, tossing the grappling hook. He missed on the first try and turned to look at me with a nervous chuckle.

“You were saying?” I said smugly. “How ‘bout you hand that over and let me—”

“Now just gimme a minute, would ya!” He shot back before trying once again. 

“Alright… Remember, it’s all in the wrists—” I coached.

“Yeah, yeah…” he said, swinging the rope around. He made it this time. “See?” He smirked and I let out a hearty chuckle as he swung to the cliffs nearby.

“Yeah, I see little brother.” I followed suit and reached the beam in one try. “And  _ that’s  _ how you do it!” I shouted to him as I swung and climbed the cliffs behind him.

“Show off…” Nathan mumbled. 

After climbing for a while, we reached the estate and snuck our way to the window left open for us by Victor. Nathan almost forgot to take his jumpsuit off and I stopped him quickly. 

“Nathan?” He didn’t respond. “Nathan?!”

“What?!” He exclaimed. And I looked at him, dramatically unzipping my jumpsuit to reveal my tuxedo, hoping he’d take the hint. “Oh! Right! I almost forgot…” he chuckled doing the same and we pushed them out of sight towards a ledge. I took a deep breath as I adjusted my slacks, nervously fidgeting with the collar of my blazer in the reflection of the window.

“Right… how do I look?” I asked, stepping away for him to analyze me.

“Like four hundred million bucks, now let’s get goin’.” He replied, brushing off a bit of dust from my shoulder before crawling through the window.

“Alright, I’m right behind ya…” I mumbled, brushing off excess dirt off of my sleeves before following. 

Just where he said he’d be, Victor sat on the couch by a lamp smoking a stogie waiting to usher us into the auction.

“Y’know what I love about partying with crooks?” He asked us upon our entry.

“What’s that?” Nathan just fed into it.

“Nobody cares if you smoke indoors!” Sully chuckled. I rolled my eyes. We didn’t have time for joking around. We had a cross to steal.

“Ha. Funny.” I replied, staley.

“‘Kay! Now that we’re all here. Let’s go get this cross—” Nathan clapped his hands together and started off towards the door until the old man stopped him.

“Hold on, kid there uh…. might be a  _ slight  _ problem with that…” Victor interrupted, smoking his cigar. I began to panic a little.

“What do you mean by ‘ _ problem _ ’, Victor?” I asked, my voice dripping with worry. We couldn’t afford any hiccups right now.

“Just… C’mon. I’ll show ya.” he said, turning to lead us into the ballroom.

We entered a ballroom on the top floor, the room basically built with marble, equipped with extravagant diamond chandeliers, red curtains hanging from the walls and a balcony with a fantastic view of the Italian skyline. The place was magnificent to say the least. Douchey Euro techno music played through the speakers placed around the room and I groaned. We were in Italy so of course they’d play that garbage. “Would ya get a load of this? A bunch of rich folks all dressed up for prom.” I said to myself as we approached the railing. We looked down at the scene of rich people and Victor pointed at the stage. On display were three artifacts. Only one of which we came for.

“That’s Avery’s cross…” Nate said.

“They brought it out of storage just before you guys got here.” Victor grumbled. I groaned at the slight change in the plan.

“They changed the damned lot order…” I muttered.

“And it probably took a whole pile of cash to make that happen.” He said.

“Well… how long before they start the bidding?” My brother asks.

“Fifteen minutes, tops.” Victor answered.

“Well we’ve gotta grab it somehow…” Nathan pondered.

“Yeah sure. Just a few three hundred eyewitnesses… should be easy right?” He answered sarcastically.

“We just need a diversion…” Nathan quipped matter of factly.

“We could—” I was startled by the sweet laughter in my ear, almost forgetting the com I placed there before we made our in.

‘ **_Rafe, you’re so funny!_ ** ’ I heard Sunny’s voice say.

I scoffed as I looked down and let my eyes scan the crowd for her. I spotted her at the bar drinking champagne with our competitor. My heart skipped a beat and I stopped in my tracks to watch her. I saw her before she left but I  _ definitely  _ didn’t take the time to appreciate the view. The dress fit her shape perfectly, exposing her tattooed back, the hem stopping at her luscious thighs. As short as she was, her legs seemed to go on for days. And her ass looked fantastic….

“Ah I almost forgot!” I could hear Victor say at a brief distance. 

‘ **_We’re in, kid._ ** ’ I heard his voice say in the coms as Nathan grabbed me by the shoulder, tugging me into the most discreet corner.

‘ **_If you’ll excuse me, I have to use the ladies room…_ ** ’ I could hear Sunny tell Rafe.

‘ **_Hurry back…_ ** ’ I heard him respond smugly. Immediately I felt a bit irked. But I brushed it off.

‘ **_Nice of you to join the party, gentlemen._ ** ’ She said.

“How’s our boy, Sunny?” Nathan asked in a low tone as the three of us circled around a table.

‘ **_Well considerin’ that his hands have been gradually gravitating towards my ass all evenin’, I’d say I have his attention._ ** ’ She replied in annoyance. ‘ **_Security is definitely tighter around here than the other day. Infinitely. And they’ve changed the lot of the auction._ ** ’

“Sully told us. We’re tryin’ to find a way to grab it now.” Nathan answered. I listened to the three of them discuss plans and when they didn’t go with the obvious, I interjected.

“Jesus, you all act like you’ve never been in prison before—”

‘ **_I haven’t._ ** ’ I heard Sunny say. I gave a huff, rolling my eyes before speaking slowly to them.

“If you want something dirty done you wait for…”

‘ **_Lights out…_ ** ’ I heard her finish my sentence right along with my other two partners.

“I thought you never went to prison.” I chuckled.

‘ **_Not prison. But I have been to jail. For three months! No thanks to your brother..._ ** ’ She replied with a hint of bitterness.

“I can’t apologize enough, Sunny.” Nathan said, shaking his head.

‘ **_You’re right. You can’t._ ** ’ She replied.

“So if we’re doing this, that means we gotta be right next to that cross without getting noticed.” Victor added.

‘ **_How are you gonna do that?_ ** ’ I heard Sunny ask. 

Just as I opened my mouth, a waitress approached the table. Beautiful girl, red hair tied tight in a ponytail; her curvaceous body hidden behind a uniform of red vest and black tie with slacks.

“ _ Scusate, signore. Antipasti? _ ” She asked in her lovely Italian tongue. My brother blew her off but I took the time to admire the beauty before me.

“Hi… how are you?” I winked, as I took a piece from her silver platter.

“ _ Ciao _ .” She answered, clearly not understanding me and turned away. I admired her backside as she left with a groan. It had been so long for me.

‘ **_You’re the worst…_ ** ’ I heard Sunny scoff and Nathan punched my arm.

“Hey! Stay focused.” He told me and yet I still couldn’t tear my gaze from the girl. I just watched until she disappeared down a hall.

“A waiter wouldn’t get noticed…” I suggested, eating the small hors d’oeuvre and licking the excess food from my fingers as I returned back to our conversation; before I was so pleasantly interrupted.

“That could work.” Victor agreed.

“That  _ will _ work. Sunny, could you find me a way into the breaker room? A place this big and old won’t run their electricity electronically so we’re gonna have to kill the power manually.”

‘ **_Already on it._ ** ’ She replied quickly.

“Solid. Sam, you’ll be a waiter.” Nate told me, dishing out orders.

“I’m the waiter?”

“You’re the best pickpocket.” He told me. I shrug my shoulders with a bit of pride. “Sully, you head down to the floor with Sunny to keep your eyes on the prize. Let us know if anything gets... _ hinky _ .”

“I can do that.” He answered with a nod.

“And Sunny, please continue to distract Rafe just a  _ little bit longer _ .” He said gently.

‘ **_You got it._ ** ’ She said.

“We still got this, guys. Ready?” Nathan asked and we all gave variations of agreement. “Then let’s do this…” And with that, the wheels began to turn…


	4. Chapter 4

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

I sat in the bathroom stall, pulling up the blueprints of the estate and pointed out the ventilation system, sending the plot points to his smartphone. “The vents’ll only take you but so far, Natey. You’re gonna have to figure some shit out. Maybe climb a little on the outside to get in.” I noted in a hushed tone.

‘ **_Of course. Because easy would be too cliche._ ** ’ I heard him joke. I giggled a little.

“You’ll have to cut through the cellar. Ten minutes on the clock, bub. Get goin’.” I smiled as I tucked my handheld back into my clutch.

‘ **_You’re the best._ ** ’

“Yeah, Yeah…” I smirked before flushing the toilet to make some noise and exiting the stall.

I looked in the bathroom mirror, touching up my makeup and holding small talk with the other women present. I got many compliments on my dress and all I could do was thank them, bragging about how Rafe Adler bought the dress for me to appease their gossiping ears. As I left, satisfied with the way I looked, I bumped into what I thought was a wall. The soft pair of hands told me otherwise. When I looked up my eyes met with a beautiful woman. ‘ _ Aaand I’m gay… _ ’ I thought as a blush spread across my cheeks. She had soft curly hair, brown skin, light eyes and high cheekbones with a sophisticated mole just above her curved lips. She had a few deep scars but it didn’t take away from her beauty one bit. As I grabbed onto her shoulders to steady myself, I was shaken by the structure of her arms; muscular down to the forearms. ‘ _ I’m really gay… _ ’. And when she smiled politely, I truly thought that I would just die. “Are you alright?” She asked me with an accent I couldn’t place. Whatever it was, it sat right in my spirit and sounded like music. I felt my face heat up as I pulled away from her.

“Yes! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you like that.” I said, clutching the life out of my purse, truly taken aback by this wonderful lady and her curvy but athletic build behind a red blouse and dress pants with a simple pair of sensible heels. She shot me a heart wrenching smile and I couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot. To avoid further embarrassment, I continued my way to Rafe. “Enjoy the rest of your evening!” I called to her in a voice very unnatural to my own. “Holy shit…” I mumbled as I made my way to the ice sculpture, surrounded by glasses of champagne, swiping myself a glass as I strode by. I knew things were about to go down soon so I opted to make it my last glass. I sipped it slowly. 

‘ **_Dammit! It’s locked…_ ** ’ I heard Sully say in my ear.

“What’s locked?” I asked, changing my course and heading to the emptiest balcony. I heard Nate sigh.

‘ **_I thought you propped it open! Can we pick it?_ ** ’ I heard Sam say. 

And like a bunch of children, the three began to bicker. I rolled my eyes, listening as they did when they abruptly stopped conversation. There was a dead silence.

“Boys?” I asked, looking around briefly.

‘ **_Did you see that? Back left pocket._ ** ’ Sully murmured after a while.

“What’s happening?” I asked, sipping my champagne.

‘ **_Doors locked electronically, we’re gonna lift a key card. Standby._ ** ’ Sam informed me.

I huffed as I crept back into the ballroom to watch their backs, stealthily avoiding Rafe as best as I could. The blueprints didn’t say anything about electronically locked doors. It must’ve been a new addition. I listened to the Drake brothers bicker in my ear about who was going to do the lift when they decided to “run it like the old days.” Yet even with Sam’s interference, the waiter they tailed kept moving. I rolled my eyes as I watched them struggle and decided to get it done myself. I scanned the room for a waiter and one just happened to exit from a room down the hall. I watched as she put the key card in her front pocket and smirked as I made my way towards her. I succeeded in one try with a classic bump and lift technique. Apologizing to the waitress, I quickly tucked the key under the back of my wig with a slick smirk. I weaved my way through the people to meet Nathan and Sam as they watched the waiter again for another try, continuing to mock each other.

“Oh boys. You take entirely too long.” I mumbled to them as I walked by, pulling the key from my wig to flash it to them on the low and slipped it into Nathan’s breast pocket. Sam caught my gaze and raised an eyebrow, flexing his lower lip with impression as I walked to the bar to join Rafe.

‘ **_I could’ve handled it…_ ** ’ Nathan mumbled.

‘ **_Right. Of course you could. That’s why she had to do it..._ ** ’ Sam replied. I chuckled at their brotherly bickering as I worked my way through the crowd.

I reached the bar and placed a hand on Rafe’s shoulder with a smile. He slipped his arm around my waist, resting a hand on my hip and pulling me close.

“I was wondering where you’d run off to.” He whispered to me.

“Just touchin’ up my makeup! Girl stuff!” I told him. I gave him a lot of half truths all night and like a sap, he believed every word. I’d practically been a perfect date to him and he didn’t question me not once.

‘ **_Alright we’re in._ ** ’ I heard Nathan say.

‘ **_Make it quick, boys._ ** ’ Sully told them. And so the plan started. ‘ **_I’ll grab ya when it goes dark, Sunny._ ** ’ I couldn’t respond but I got the message.

I stayed with Rafe as he entertained a bunch of rich old white men, their wives absolutely enchanted by his handsome looks and charisma. All the while he kept his hands on me. Every once in a while he’d lead me away to dance, holding me dangerously close and swaying to the music effortlessly. He’d rest his temple against mine and take calming breaths, making it all very intimate without meaning to. He was a great dance partner ( _ that _ I had to give to him). As he conversed with other attendees, I would hook my arm with his, daintily caressing his arm as I sipped my drink. After a while, it started to get old. He began to sound like a game show host the longer he went on. I stood for about two or three minutes listening to him make  _ terrible  _ jokes in his stories. And because of his status, everyone laughed to validate him. ‘ _ Hurry the hell up, boys. This man is literally killing me… _ ’ I thought as Rafe looked behind me. I shot my glance to where he did and my stomach flipped. He had spotted Sully, chatting to a familiar looking figure. 

“See someone you know?” I asked curiously, playing off my slight nervousness.

“Yeah. An old friend…” he replied, gritting his teeth. “If he’s around, trouble isn’t far behind… Let’s go give him a little greeting, shall we?” Something didn’t sit right with me when he said that. But I smiled and followed him anyway. As we made our way over, I noticed Sam had already secured a uniform and was slowly making his way through the crowd with a platter of champagne. When he caught my eyes he winked at me. ‘ _ Thank God… _ ’ I thought. This would all be over soon. I could hear Sully’s conversation with the woman he called Nadine. She asked about Nathan and he sighed, feigning ignorance.

“I’ve been flying solo for a while now. Drake’s out!” He said, taking a sip of his scotch.

“Oh! You mean like… ‘dead’ out?” I heard the woman’s voice say with condolence and as we approached I noticed it was that woman I ran into earlier. My chest tightened as Rafe put on a smile. I did the same so I wouldn’t blow my cover.

“Nah, no! Last I heard he settled down and got married.” Sully took a puff of his cigar and his expression faltered a bit when he noticed me. And Rafe rolled straight into the conversation.

“Well then he might as well be dead, right?” He chuckled, smiling that ever so charming smile. “Victor Sullivan! How the hell are you?” He stuck his hand out and they shared a strong handshake.

“Rafe.” He said, with a polite smile.

“How long has it been? Ten years? Twelve?”

“Fifteen.” Sully grumbled.

“It’s amazing. Here we are, all these years gone by and we’re still haggling over dead people’s junk.” Rafe said with a chuckle.

“Really? Aren’t you running your parents business?” He asked. I fought off a snicker at his petty comment. I could tell it irritated Rafe and he immediately began to act like a baby about it. Complete contrast from how he’d been all night. The woman Nadine and I shared a similar expression of annoyance.

“It’s  _ my _ business now.” He said darkly before changing his tone. “But yes that is my day job.”

“Well that’s one helluva day job. You could probably afford everything on the block tonight.” Sully continued.

“Well sure… but what would be the point in that? Nowadays I’m only looking for the uh…. _ good stuff… _ The big scores.” He nodded. The way he looked at him, I could tell he was already getting suspicious. “Any advice on what I should be picking up tonight?” He asked, taking a sip of his champagne.

“Yeah. Like I wanna bid against him.” He said sarcastically in both Nadine and I’s direction. We both chuckled. Sully was still charming as ever even in the face of adversity. Then he leaned in towards Rafe, twirling his cigar in his fingers. “Just between you and me, I did notice they changed the order. I think somebody may be trying to rig this auction.”

“Hmm. Well remember where we are. This crowd didn’t get rich by playing fair.” He responded, his thumb steadily rubbing against my waist.

“Which is why you really need someone watching your back in a place like this…” Nadine chimed in, slowly making her way to Rafe’s side. I tried not to be offended but I was definitely getting some weird vibes between them as he looked at her with the same alluring smile he’d been giving me all night. Sully was also putting two and two together.

“Ah, well I do hate to break it to ya, but you  _ are _ working for an American.” He commented.

“ _ With. _ We’ve partnered up on this one.” She responded, taking a sip of her scotch. I downed the rest of my champagne to hide my facial expressions. I knew they were showing plain as day.

“ _ I see. _ Talk about a power couple.” He chuckled.

“Hey now! Not in front of my date- which my apologies, sweetheart, how rude of me.” He finally brought attention to me in all of this. “Victor Sullivan. Meet Sunny Spurrs. One of the brightest young ladies I’ve come across.” He said with what seemed like a genuine compliment. ‘ _ When in doubt, act like we don’t know each other. _ ’ Words of advice from Sully long ago began to ring and I smiled brightly, sticking my hand out to shake and he kissed my knuckles.

“Pleasure. Where’d you pick up a girl like this, Rafe?” He joked, winking at me.

“I have my ways.” He smirked, looking at me with those green eyes and pulling me close. I grinned at him, straightening the collar of his blazer. Just as Sully fixed his mouth to reply with what I’m sure would’ve been another hilariously shady comment, the auctioneer’s accented voice came through the speakers. 

“In a few moments, we will begin bidding for the next item… an inlaid wooden crucifix from the Trott estate.” She announced. As we locked eyes briefly, Sully took a deep breath, knowing it was time to make himself scarce.

“Welp! I know when I’m third wheel- or fourth in your case. You kids have fun tonight-” he began to turn and walk away but Rafe let go of me and halted him, grabbing onto his elbow with a salty expression.

“Just hold on, Sully…” He said darkly. ‘ _ Shit. _ ’ I thought, internally panicking. “How’d you find out about it?”

“‘It’? And what ‘ _ It _ ’ is that, Rafe?” Sully retorted with a similar level of seriousness. I pursued my lips together and took a single step back from their brewing altercation. I could see Rafe’s hands curl up into a shaky fist. “Nadine, I think your partner here has had one too many Bloody Marys-”

“ _ Cut the bullshit, old man! _ ” Rafe snapped aggressively, slapping Sully’s glass from his hands. I jumped a bit as I watched it shatter on the marbled floor, people nearby turning their attention to our little group to watch the scene play out. He eased up to him, poking an accusatory finger in his chest. “Now I don’t know how you scammed your way in here, but if you even so much as  _ think _ about bidding on Avery’s cross, I can tell you  _ exactly  _ how you’re gonna be leaving here.  _ In a god damn body bag- _ ”

“ _ Rafe! _ ” Nadine snapped, bringing his attention to the gazing eyes of those around us. I carefully approached him and placed a comforting hand on his back, hoping it would calm him some. He took a deep breath and squeezed Sully’s shoulder with a nervous chuckle before brushing off the wrinkles on the old man’s suit.

“Well… you get the gist.” Rafe said with a hint of warning, wrapping his arm around me. He tapped his fingers on my hip like a nervous twitch and I placed my hand over his own. He brought his gaze to me and took a deep breath, trying to get over being so worked up. I just nodded as I stared into his eyes. He seemed to relax in an instant. Sully just grunted and took a puff of his cigar.

“Lovely seeing you both. Ms. Spurrs, you enjoy your evening.” He said to me with a hint of warning, only detected by me and we split off into our respective parties. I was beginning to worry. Had something happened to Nathan? The clock was ticking now and we still hadn’t heard a word from him.

‘ **_Nate… Nate?! Goddamn it, kid, where the hell are you?_ ** ’ I heard Sully say in my ears. I waited to hear his voice but got nothing.

‘ **_We’re running outta time, little brother…_ ** ’ I heard Sam add hastily after a few minutes of his silence.

I followed Rafe to the table where bidders received their panels and he kissed my hand. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Why don’t you head over to the bar and relax? I’ll meet you once I’m done here.” He told me. I nodded and I gave him a hug. Bro seemed like he needed one. A raspy tired groan left him as his arms circle my waist, his hand running down my bare spine as he did. His hands rested on my hips carefully. “You know… I’ve been trying to behave all night. Trying to resist the urge to kiss those beautiful lips of yours…” he said lowly, caressing my cheek. I wanted to throw up. But the expression in my eyes never faltered as I looked at him. I kissed him on his cheek and wiped off the stain with my thumb.

“Perhaps  _ later _ … Mr. Adler. When there aren’t so many eyes.” I whispered suggestively and his grip tightened on my waist.

“ _ Absolutely… _ ” he growled. I winked at him and slipped away to the back of the ballroom, out of sight. My job was done. I could finally cringe in peace.

“Jesus H, it’s a fucking miracle he let me go anywhere.” I grumbled. I could hear Sam’s faint chuckle on the coms.

‘ **_Where are you now, Sunny?_ ** ’ I heard Sully ask.

“By the bar.” I replied.

‘ **_Get as close as you can to the exit without being suspicious._ ** ’ He ordered and I confirmed his order, walking to the extravagantly large doorway and leaning into its frame. Suddenly, Nathan’s voice came through the coms and I felt a massive wave of relief.

‘ **_Sam? Sully? Sunny? You guys still there?_ ** ’ I heard him say. ‘ **_I made it to the breaker room._ ** ’

“Oh, thank god. The sooner this is over, the better.” I exclaimed in a hushed tone.

‘ **_God damn, kid! What took you so long?_ ** ’ Sully hissed.

‘ **_Yes, I’m fine and I’m alive. Thanks for asking._ ** ’ Nate began sarcastically. ‘ **_I had a few close calls but I made it._ ** ’

‘ **_Yeah, well if you’re gonna cut the power, now would be a good time to do it._ ** ’ Sully replied.

‘ **_Yeah well I’m gonna need a minute to get into the breaker panel, it’s locked._ ** ’ He said with a grunt.

“You don’t have a minute, Natey. Rafe is about to walk outta here with that cross.” I said.

‘ **_And he’s the highest bidder so far._ ** ’ Sam’s voice came through the coms in a rough tone.

‘ **_Then outbid him!_ ** ’ Nate said as I heard him rumble through some things.

‘ **_With what? I don’t have that kinda scratch!_ ** ’ Sully was beginning to sound as worried as me.

‘ **_You do realize we’re stealing this cross right?_ ** ’ Nathan told him.

‘ **_What if he calls my bluff?_ ** ’ I watched Sully from a distance as he scratched his mustache nervously.

“I don’t think he will...” I said, making what could’ve been a bad judgement call but we needed to buy my best friend some time to get into that panel.

“We have an offer at 90,000 euros. Is there another offer in the room?” I heard the auctioneer say.

‘ **_Guys, if we do not get this cross, I am as good as dead._ ** ’ Sam muttered.

‘ **_And if I end up with the highest bid, then we’re all dead!_ ** ’ Sully rebuttals.

‘ **_Sully, I need you to buy me more time._ ** ’ Nathan said with the utmost urgency. Sully huffed.

‘ **_You kids better be right about this…_ ** ’ he grumbled as the auctioneer started to finalize the bid.

“Do it, Sully.” I said, covering my mouth with my fist as I intently and anxiously watched the bid take place. 

‘ **_Ah, screw it._ ** ’ I looked over at Sully as he raised his panel and the auctioneer stopped the finalization.

“ _ Benè! _ We are now at 100,000 euros. Do I hear another offer in the room?” Just before the auctioneer could finish her sentence, Rafe’s panel was raised. He stared at the old man, brimming with annoyance. I watched them battle it out to 190,000 euros almost like a countdown on a timer. I underestimated just how wealthy Rafe actually was.

‘ **_Hey man, I’m starting’ to sweat bullets here—_ ** ’ Sam rushed in a panicky voice. Suddenly, his brother’s voice rang through the coms.

‘ **_I’m in! You guys ready?_ ** ’ Nathan asked.

‘ **_As I’ll ever be. Sunny?_ ** ’ Sam asked.

“We got one chance guys, let’s get this done.” I said with a small smirk as the adrenaline began to surge in me. “Sully?”

‘ **_One second._ ** ’ He chuckled before raising the panel again, just to piss Rafe off a little more. I chuckled to myself as I watched Rafe ball his fists like a child on punishment.

“500,000! Let’s get this show on the road!” He shouted, gesturing impatiently. ‘ _ Gosh, the temper on this one… _ ’ I thought with a slight chuckle.

“Um… very well. We have 500,000 euros in the room. Does the gentleman wish to bid again?” The auctioneer asked and the entire room looked in his direction. I tried my best to fight off the laughter at Rafe’s expression, all tuned up like a burnt weenie. Sully gestured to him that the bid was all his.

“You had me worried there for a minute, Victor. I thought I was gonna have to kill ya!” He remarked and the room around them laughed. Sully gave a fake chuckle and put his cigar to his lips.

‘ **_Okay… Let’s ruin this asshole’s evening._ ** ’ He said.

“Let’s.” I smiled, ready to go.

“500,000 going once….. going twice…. and the crucifix has been sold for 500,000 euros-” and just like that the lights went out. By the time the backup generator came on, the crucifix was gone from the stand and Sam was out of sight.

I stood in my corner as Sully made his way over to me, swiftly grabbing my arm to leave as Rafe made a scene.

“They’re gonna need a getaway. Let’s get to the car.” He told me as we picked up the pace and left the estate.


	5. Chapter 5

**__ **

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

_ Pow!  _ I gasped at the sound of gunfire. Leave it to Nathan to always end up getting shot at. “God dammit, Nathan…. You and your…. your goddamn brother…” I mumbled in irritation as I pulled a switchblade from my bag and cut a high split into my dress. It was a shame I had to ruin something so gorgeous. I snatched my wig off and tossed it in the backseat. With an exasperated sigh, I posted up next to Sully, leaning against the car to examine the situation. We watched as people fled the estate at the sound of bullets firing off.

“Well I’ll be go to hell. You and Sam might’ve been right about taking guns with us.” Sully said, putting out his cigar.

“I’m never wrong about when you need a gun.” I shrugged, snapping the heels off of my shoes. I groaned, taking a hard look as security began to scour the building. I made a face, placing my hands on my hips.

“What are you thinkin’, kid?” He asked me. I ran my fingers through my short curls, feeling the air on my scalp.

“I’m thinkin’ Imma have to go after them. They could get killed…” I said, racking my brain to come up with a plan to find them.

“I’d start from the roof if I were you.” He suggested. I looked up at the massive building and groaned again.

“Because we couldn’t just rob a regular sized building…. It just  _ had _ to be this...  _ behemoth _ .” I said walking towards the estate.

“I’ll bring the car around. Once you have the boys, meet me in the driveway.” He told me as he rounded the white car. “And Sunny…” I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him. “ _ Please  _ be careful.”

I gave him the biggest smile.

“I’m practically invincible.” I smirked, reassuring him and pressing the button on my coms as I continued towards the building.

I climbed a pipe on the side of the building to the top of the estate, half crying as I looked down. ‘ _ If I fall, that would be… not the best… _ ’ I thought as I navigated myself across the rooftop. I spotted a guard pacing a balcony with a heavy AK-47 in his hands. I decided that was my gun of choice and climbed stealthily to him. I managed to edge my way to an area behind him and climbed up to position myself for a silent takedown. Jumping on his back to wrap my arms around his neck, I squeezed as hard as I could until the man passed out cold. I took the gun from him and patted his body down for extra ammo. I found only two clips but I’m sure I’d find more on the way. “Talk to me, Natey. Sam? Where are you guys?” I asked, slipping the gun over my shoulder, tightening the strap a bit and moving on.

‘ **_Trying to get to the exit but I keep running into guards!_ ** ’ I heard Nate respond, bullets flying and popping off in the background. I sighed as I jumped from ledge to ledge. Hopping over a railing that landed me in a courtyard. I could hear him groaning and toughing it out though. ‘ **_Nothing I can't handle..._ ** ’

“Sam, how ‘bout you?” I asked as I followed the pathway down to another courtyard. It was beginning to feel like a maze.

‘ **_Well the good news is: I got a gun! Bad news: I’m under a lotta fire and I’m not sure how much longer my ammo’s gonna last me._ ** ’ I heard him answer as bullets seemed to soar past his head. My brain started to work out a plan to get us all out of here alive. First, I had to grab Sam.

“Where are you, Sam?” I asked, carefully going down a flight of stairs and peeking behind corners. I peered over the railing to see if I could spot either of them but it was too dark.

‘ **_I had to ditch the uniform. Got cornered in the wine cellar on my way out. I’m kinda pinned down here!_ ** ’ He shouted over the gunfire. My walk picked up into a sprint as I continued to parkour over every obstacle.

“Hang tight! I’m on my way!” I said as I scanned the area for the quickest route to the cellar. 

Eventually I found myself on a ledge right above the shootout by the cellar. I counted 8 men. ‘ _ Shit. _ ’ I thought. “This is gonna get hairy…” I mumbled as I readied myself. “Sam, I’m here but you’re gonna have to help me out!” I told him.

‘ **_I’ll take the front, you grab the back! Can you handle that, princess?!_ ** ’ He groaned. 

As lovely as his voice sounded in my ear, I couldn’t let him distract me. So I scoffed.

“Don’t call me ‘princess’!” I shouted, jumping off the ledge. I landed on top of a thug and snapped his neck, taking his hand gun in the process. As I pulled the gun to shoot another guard, I could see Sam running out of the cellar with his gun pointed, shooting his shots strategically near their heads to disarm them. As a man grabbed his ear, he charged toward him with a jump and the butt of his gun collided with his temple.

“He’s not gettin’ up after that…” he commented before continuing the fight. It didn’t take long for us to clear the yard and I finished the fight, kicking a man behind the knees to bring him down. When I folded him, I brought my fist to his jaw, quickly knocking him out. “ _ Nice! _ ” I heard Sam say as he approached me. I took a moment to catch my breath, nodding as he acknowledged me. I looked up at him and he began to kick around the loose rocks on the ground; like he was trying to find the right words to say something. I had an inkling of what but we didn’t have time. “Hey listen, uh… Sunny-”

“Not now, Sam. Let’s go get your brother.” I said pushing past him. I began to climb the ledge again and he followed silently.

After a few more minutes of climbing and navigating the tops of the estate, we heard gun shots from below. I ran towards a nearby rail to see a group of men shooting upwards. Hanging from a broken awning was none other than my best friend. “Sam lookit! It’s Nathan!” I said pointing in his direction. He raked his hands through his hair looking around for a way up. “We gotta help him.” A wave of worry spread over me and Sam placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze and I looked back at his confident eyes.

“And we will. Look, there’s a hatch on the roof.” He said, pulling me by the arm. “C’mere. I’ll give you a boost.” He adjusted his pants and grounded himself, placing his hands before him. I put my hands on his shoulders and kicked off as he hoisted me in the air effortlessly. I hung from the short ladder, my arms burning a bit as I pulled my weight up, pushing the hatch back to reveal the night sky. A cool breeze hit me as I climbed onto the roof and I laid flat on my stomach to reach out for Sam. “Are you sure you can hold me, princess?”

“Keep calling me princess and I’ll leave you down there.” I warned him.

“Alright, alright! I’m sorry.” He apologized rather quickly before jumping to grab my forearm, his weight pulling me down a bit.

“Jesus H, do you eat enough?” I asked with sarcasm as I readjusted my positioning to pull him up enough to reach the ladder.

“I had a big lunch.” he grunted as I pulled him up. The wind began to pick up, almost pushing us back a bit and we grabbed each other to steady ourselves for a moment. We ran along the lengthy rooftop shouting Nathan’s name frantically.

‘ **_Guys! You’re ok!_ ** ’ I heard him shout above the gunfire as he dangled from the awning.

“Here! I got a gun! Catch!” With that, Sam took his hand gun and tossed it an incredible distance. By God’s grace, Nathan caught it and Sam cheered in amazement as his brother took several successful headshots.

“Because that would’ve really sucked if you missed.” I commented. He gave me a stupid goofy grin.

“I know right?” he chuckled. I began to shoot him a smile until I heard a bullet fly by us. We looked behind us and there was a guard, pointing his gun at us. Sam tugged at my shoulder to make me duck with him and we began to run. “Nathan, we can’t get to you from here so you’re gonna have to meet us in the ballroom!”

‘ **_Got it! You guys be careful!_ ** ’ Nathan shouted as he began to climb his way around the building. 

Sam grabbed a hold of my wrist as we ran towards the end of the roof. I stopped. He did not. I screamed as I watched him fall over the edge just to see him land safely on the ground with a grunt. “ _ Sunny, what are ya doin’?! You gotta jump! _ ” he shouted at me with urgency. My eyes widened at how high up this roof was.

“I can’t make that-”

“I’ll catch you! But you  _ have _ to jump, Sunny!” He shouted, holding his arms out. I began to panic a little when I looked back to see the guard pointing his gun to shoot again. “ _ Sunny! _ ” I heard Sam call. “You gotta trust me, okay? Just don’t think about it- I’ll catch you!” I looked at him with nervous eyes as a shot fired near me again. I took a step back and closed my eyes before leaping off with a squeal. It felt like I was falling forever until I landed in a strong pair of arms. “I gotcha! I gotcha… You’re okay.” He whispered to me gently as he sat me on my feet again. He ran his hands down my arms soothingly as I gripped onto his sleeves tightly. I looked up at him and he gave a soft comforting smile. There was a twinkle in his eyes that sent a shockwave through my chest and gave me butterflies. Suddenly, he broke the gaze, looking upwards to glance at the roof. Swiftly, he pulled at the extra hand gun tucked away in the back of my dress and grabbed my waist to pull me close. He turned us both, shielding me, and fired two shots towards the roof. I could hear a body hit the ground with a thud. He got that extra guard. My eyes darted between him and the body and I let out a gasp.

“Holy shit.” I breathed as a smile crept across my face. I could feel a laugh vibrate through his chest before we separated. 

“Let’s get goin’...” Sam said nervously before heading down the stairs to the big white doors that led to the ballroom. We pushed the doors open, ready to cut through to the driveway when I placed a small hand on his chest to stop him.

“Sam….” I mumbled and he groaned.

“ _ Oh great… _ ” he said as a room full of guards, blocking the exit, turned to look at us. He grinned as he walked further into the room. “Hey guys! Don’t suppose you’d just… let us walk on outta here, would ya?” he asked the room, loudly. I rolled my eyes and pushed him behind a table as every single guard began to lift their guns and shoot. I screamed as a barrage of bullets sprayed against the other side.

“ _ Are you crazy?! _ ” I exclaimed, slipping the heavy artillery off of my shoulder. 

“I thought I’d give it a shot!” Sam shrugged with a chuckle. I shook my head, fighting off a smile when suddenly something crashed through the window. Crawling to cover behind the desk across from us was Nathan. “ _ Jesus Christ, Nathan! _ ” he exclaimed and Nathan shot us a smile.

“Hiya, guys!” he shouted.

“Sully, where ya at?!” I exclaimed, pressing my ear piece. A bit of static came through before his voice rang out.

‘ **_Jesus! Is that you guys in there?!_ ** ’ I heard him answer.

“Yeah, Victor! We’re in a bit of a tight spot!” Sam shouted before standing up briefly to shoot a few people before taking cover again. I followed suit, letting bullets spray across the room.

‘ **_You kids need to clear that room before the rest of the cavalry comes in!_ ** ’ He shouted. I sighed as I took cover. Nathan shot me a look. Thee look.

“Nathan…” I said as the adrenaline began to surge again.

“Don’t worry, Sully. If Sunny can trust me, we’ll make short work of this crowd…” He said and his eyes never left mine.

“ _ Nathan! _ ” I shouted.

“We’ll run it like we used to, okay?” He told me calmly. And I looked at him, nervously. 

“Hey guys, whatever you’re about to do, do it now!” Sam shouted as the guards began to fan out. I shook my head as I worked up the nerve.

“Damn you, Nate.” I grunted before hopping over the table, spraying another wave of bullets. I pushed forward until I could approach a guard and knocked him in the head with a gun. Nathan came up behind me as another came my way and disarmed him, relieving him of his shotgun. With Sam’s help, we cleared ourselves a path to the exit. As we took cover behind the marble railing to shoot a few more guards, Sully’s white car crashed into a group of them.

‘ **_GET IN HERE NOW!_ ** ’ He shouted. 

Without questioning anything, we fought our way across the fountain covered driveway, dodging bullets and punching goons. Just as I got to the car, I felt a burning sensation swipe across my thigh. I cursed as I slid into the car, Sam following behind me and Nathan at shotgun.

“Drive! Go, go!” Sam shouted as Sully started the engine and sped off, avoiding the array of bullets, crashing through the gates as we made our getaway.


	6. Chapter 6

**__ **

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

I winced as I propped my leg up on Nathan’s lap for him to clean and tend to the graze on my thigh. Wrapping my wet hair in a towel, I accepted the glass of scotch Sully had poured for me. I smiled at him and he placed a hand on my shoulder before sitting at the table. “I dunno how you do it kid…” he said shaking his head in amazement.

“Me either…” I mumbled, lighting a cigarette. “I know I’m gonna hurt like hell tomorrow though so I’ll just get drunk tonight.” I gave a half smile, lifting my glass and chugging a good bit of it. 

“I hear that!” He chuckled, sipping his own glass.

I looked over at Sam, who couldn’t stop smiling at the crucifix in his hands. I caught myself smiling at his goofy grin as he briefly put it down to remove his bow tie, roll his sleeves up, and loosen a few buttons to get comfortable. He looked nice like that… He reached into the duffle bag that sat near his feet and pulled out a hammer, holding the cross near the end of the table ready to break it. I knitted my brows together as he looked at all of us with excitement in his eyes. I stopped him before the hammer could come in contact with the wooden cross.

“Woah, woah, woah- so we went through all that trouble for that thing just so you could break it open?” I asked, slightly annoyed. “I may have some questions…” I held out my hand, silently demanding to examine it.

Sam sighed impatiently and put the hammer down, giving me the cross. It weighed a lot less than I anticipated. It was definitely hollow so he had the right idea about breaking it open. I turned it over in my hands and there were words written in what I could only assume was Latin. “ _ Digna Factis Recipimus… _ ” I mumbled. “What the hell does that mean?” I asked, passing it back to him.

“We receive the just rewards of our deeds.” He answered lazily. I was impressed.

“It says all that?” It was just three words.

“Yup.” He replied, obviously tired of my bullshit already.

“Well look at you…” I smiled, sitting back in my seat as Nathan patted my knee and moved my leg, finishing up nursing my wound.

“You learn a thing or two when you’re raised in a Catholic orphanage.” He shrugged with a smirk, seeming to let the compliment get to his head.

“I went to a baptist church. Didn’t learn much but we sang a lot.” I joked and the table laughed. When the laughter died down, Sam began to get ready to break the cross.

“Any more questions before I break this thing open?” He asked us, looking at me more specifically. I flexed my lower lip and shook my head.

“Curiosity satisfied.” I said, scooting up to the table with everyone else.

“Anybody else? Going once… _ going twice _ ?” He looked between his brother and the old man as they waited with similar anticipation. When no one said anything, he took a deep excited breath. “I hope I don’t go to hell for this…” he joked before he dropped the hammer on the top half of the cross and looked inside with a big grin.

Almost as quick as that grin came, it disappeared as he glanced at us all. Something was wrong and I think I knew what. I closed my eyes and clenched a fist.

“Please don’t say it…” I said softly.

“It’s empty…” he said in a disappointing tone. Nathan almost jumped out of his seat and Sully groaned.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Nathan said, the excitement in his eyes dying quickly. I watched Sam’s face as an amused grin slowly played on his lips. He turned the cross upside down and out came some sand and a rolled up piece of parchment sealed with a bit of red wax, Henry Avery’s sigil pressed into it. He laughed and I could feel the wave of relief wash over the table. I rolled my eyes and smirked.

“You just think you’re  _ so _ funny.” I said, sipping my drink. He nodded.

“Why  _ yes _ . Yes I do.” He smiled, carefully undoing the wax seal on the parchment. I sat and listened to them decipher what looked like some kind of flyer to Avery’s grave when Nathan suddenly groaned.

“It’s Saint Dismas’ cathedral…” he said.

“Wait a minute. Didn’t you say Rafe bought up all that land? He’s been scouring that cathedral for ages and came up with nothin’.” Sully said. I took a hefty sip at the mention of that insufferable rich boy.

“Yeah, the cathedral  _ but _ ,” I watched Nate work as he stood to grab his trusty notebook. He kept it on him at all times during a job. Filled it with thoughts, facts, memories, and funny little sketches here and there. He opened it up to pull out a map of the site and pointed to the cathedral. “we’re looking for a gravestone. See this is the area they’ve been searching but the graveyard... is all the way over here.” I watched his finger drag from the cathedral over to damn near the other side of the map. Sam smiled.

“They’ve been looking in the wrong area!” He chuckled. Things were going as planned and he looked excited to start.

“Now just...wait a tick. Rafe  _ definitely  _ knows we’re comin’ by now.” I said cautiously. Sully being the other voice of reason added on.

“That boy would like nothing more than for the three of you to show up after what we pulled tonight.  _ Plus _ he’s got Nadine and her whole damn army!” He said.

“And we’ll be ready for ‘em. Bring it on!” Nathan replied recklessly. I shook my head. Once again he’d brought me on another crazy adventure. I was actually a bit excited even though I didn’t show it. Sully shook his head. He knew there was no persuading him once he set his mind on something.

“I hear the weather in Scotland is particularly fine this time of year.” Sully said, puffing his cigar.

“Well then pack your bags, guys. I guess we’re goin’ to Scotland!” Sam said, raising his glass to the three of us. “To us!” He toasted.

“And to lost pirate booty.” I added. I couldn’t even get the words out before I started giggling childishly into my glass. The brothers joined in on the laugh and Sully just sighed.

“You’re horrible. All of you.” He shook his head. I looked at the fire in Nathan’s baby blues. A fire that I hadn’t seen in a  _ long  _ time. Sully picked up on it too. So he begged the question. “Nate, one more thing… How is Elena cool with all this?” Nathan didn’t answer. He just kind of glanced around the room, sheepishly. I made a face at him as Sully gave a disappointed chuckle. “Oh, Jesus, kid.”

“Look… it’s just not that simple.” He said.

“You need to tell her, Natey.” I commented, sipping on my drink. None of this was fair to her and she had a right to know if her husband’s life was in danger. And she was tough as hell. She could’ve helped here  _ way _ better than I ever could.

“You’re not giving her enough credit! With all that you two have been through—” Sully argued. I nodded in total agreement.

“She wouldn’t understand this.” Nathan shook his head as he rolled up the parchment. I groaned and smoothed out an eyebrow with my fingers, shaking my head and puffing on what was left of my cigarette.

“Mother bitch, Nate… You know she would—” I started but he snapped.

“I can’t take that chance!” Nathan looked like a kid who’d just been told to sit on the sidelines at a game. A brief silence filled the room. Sam broke it with a slight cough and a hum before looking at his younger brother.

“Nathan, he’s right. They both are. Rafe’s involved now and…Really. I-I can take it from here—” He said but Nathan wasn’t hearing anything we had to say. He just pulled out his phone to dial his wife and tell her more lies of his whereabouts. I sighed as Nathan chuckled, looking at us all.

“Great. Well thank you for your input. All of you. Now if you’ll excuse me…” he said standing up and walking out to the balcony. I rested my head in my hands as Sam grunted, popping the bottle of Scotch open and topped off his drink and mine with the last of its contents. He started to pour for Sully but he abruptly placed a hand over his glass. Sam just huffed and closed up the bottle.

“Something on your mind, dear?” He asked sarcastically, taking a sip. I winced as I forced out a single laugh, sipping my own drink and putting out my cigarette. Sully leaned on the table to look the younger man square in the eyes.

“Look, uh… I know it couldn’t have been easy…. all those years away. And I’m sorry that it happened to you. But it’s not his fault.” He told him. Sam kept a mean poker face and feigned a sort of innocence as he spoke but I could see it bothered him.

“I never said that it was.” He answered, clasping his hands before him on the table.

“It took him a  _ long  _ time to get outta this gig.” Sully said, puffing on his cigar.

“Do you see a gun to his head? He chose this. He’s meant for this life.” I knew it was hard on him. All these years away and he’d missed so much. He didn’t even know what was best for his brother anymore. I could feel my face tense up as I listened to the conversation. I wanted to say something but I knew it wasn’t my place.

“Do you really believe that?” Sully asked honestly. Sam gave a deep agitated sigh.

“Why are you here, Victor?” He asked in a snarky tone with a bit of sass to his small smile.

“Because somebody’s gotta keep an eye out for him.” Sully replied simply. Sam’s smile faltered as he took a breath like he’d been holding it the entire conversation. He didn’t have anything else to say. And that worried me. Suddenly, Nate walked back in, telling his wife we’d be a few more weeks. ‘ _ Ridiculous… _ ’ I thought as he told her goodbye.

“Alrighty. So we’ll leave first thing in the morning.” Nathan told us, downing the rest of his drink. “I’m gonna hit the hay.”

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna turn in, too.” Sully said looking at Sam briefly. He just raised a brow at him in response and sipped his drink quietly.

“Aww okay… goodnight, boys.” I said softly as Nate hugged me and Sully patted my head. Then they both disappeared to their respective rooms, leaving Sam and I to our own devices.

I kicked my feet up, pulled another cigarette for myself and held one out for Sam. “I’m gonna need you to purchase a pack of cancer sticks for yourself tomorrow. You smoke like a chimney and my cigs are goin’ too damn quick.” I chuckled, placing a cigarette between my lips and fidgeting with the pack. I counted three more left over as he laughed and flicked his silver zippo, holding the flame to light my cigarette for me.

“Look at the pot callin’ the kettle black.” He chuckled before lighting his own. I took a drag with a laugh, coughing for exceeding my intake. My hands stinging from the smoke floating onto my skinned knuckles. I didn’t mind much though. He glanced down at my hands and scoffed, standing to grab something. He returned to the table with the first aid kit and sat closer to me. “My idiot brother and his malpractice for tending to wounds. He forgot your hands.” He told me as he pulled out bandages, ointment, and cotton balls. 

“Oh- it’s okay- you don’t have to do that!” I said as he grabbed the bottle of vodka from the mini bar and pulled the cork with his teeth, already carelessly pouring it over my open sores before I could refuse any further. I made some weird noise as the alcohol painfully cleaned the raw skin, shaking my hand in brief panic but the air only made it worse. “ _ Ow! _ Mother…. _ fucker! _ ” I exclaimed, wiggling my fingers as he reached for my wrist, his cigarette hanging lazily from his lips as he leaned forward to pat it dry with a cotton ball. He smirked at my reaction.

“Stop movin’ around, will ya? It’s gotta get cleaned or it’ll get infected. Then your fingers will fall off. You want that?” He told me in a fatherly tone. I inhaled through my nostrils and turned my head to smoke, resting my arm on the back of the chair as he continued to treat my “wounded hand”.

“You could’ve used the saline solution. We actually have it in the kit.” I mumbled. He looked in the kit briefly at the big brown bottle quite literally labeled Saline.

“Ah! So we do! Sorry. I’ll use it on the other hand.” He said nonchalantly. I scoffed and shook my head. “I forgot to tell you earlier but you look great tonight.” Sam spoke in a gentle voice; he almost sounded like a stranger. I turned my head to look at him, blushing as I watched him contently tending to my knuckles, smoke spilling past his lips and out his nostrils as he puffed his cigarette. My heart skipped a beat as the shadows played off his striking features. What was he doing to me…

“I think you mean  _ ‘looked’ _ .” I chuckled, gesturing to my white shirt and denim shorts, taking the towel off of my head. I had taken off all my makeup and jewelry by now. My hair was wet from the shower and started to curl back as the air dried it. He shook his head.

“I said what I said. You look great tonight. Didn’t look half bad at the auction either. That dress looked nice on you… It’s the one you bought when we did recon in the city, right?” He asked. I didn’t even think he noticed. I nervously took a sip of my scotch.

“Yeah… yeah it was.” I answered softly. He gave a muted chuckle as he put ointment on my wounds. He gripped my fingers a bit tighter as they began to shake from the pain.

“Rafe seemed to like it.” He smirked, looking up from my hand a moment. I raised a brow at him and smiled in amusement.

“Jealous much?” I asked. He flexed his lip and gave a half nod, shrugging his wide shoulders.

“Maybe a little bit…” he responded. I felt my cheeks heat up again. I wasn’t expecting that type of response. He looked at me a moment and sighed. “Listen… about earlier-”

“Sam-”

“Lemme finish.” He interjected, holding up a hand. He reached for the bandages and began to wrap my knuckles. “I’m sorry for calling you Princess so much. I didn’t mean piss you off or anything.”

“I don’t think you can help that.” I joked and he laughed, tucking the end of the bandage in at my palms to tie it off. Not too tight and not too loose. 

“No I don’t think I can.” He chuckled, motioning for the other hand as he ashed his cigarette and put it back in his mouth. I sighed in annoyance, pivoting in my seat and switching the cigarette to my other hand. I leaned on the table with my elbow as I gave him my other hand. This time he poured saline on the cotton ball and dabbed at wounds carefully. It still stung but it didn’t hurt as much as the vodka by a long shot. “Thanks for saving my ass back there. You handled yourself pretty good.” He said. I gasped, dramatically placing a hand over my imaginary pearls.

“ _ Two _ compliments in  _ one night- woooow! _ Samuel Drake, do you have a little crush on me?” I joked. He suddenly became rather quiet but he continued to clean my wounds. It felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room as I watched him. I was beginning to feel a bit flustered. “Sam you don’t really have a crush on me do you?” I asked. He didn’t answer. He just looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Sam….” He just smiled to himself a little. He was enjoying this too damn much. I twisted up my face and hit him in the arm repeatedly causing him to burst into the cutest laugh I’d heard from him yet.

“You should’ve seen your face!” He laughed, sniffling as he put out this cigarette in the ashtray. I hit his shoulder once more and stifled a laugh as I enjoyed his smile. It was something I didn’t see often from him. I pulled another one and he accepted it. I follow suit and put mine out as well. ‘ _ Dammit. My last cigarette… _ ’ I thought with a sigh as I lit one. It was enough for a morning smoke. “I’ll buy two packs tomorrow. You can have one.” He told me as he put ointment on my knuckles. 

“How sweet.” I grumbled, leaning over the table to snatch up the bottle of vodka and pour myself another glass. I hovered over Sam’s glass as a silent question and he just nodded. So I poured his glass as well as he began to wrap my knuckles up. When he’d finished, he gathered everything up and pushed it to the side of the table.

“See? All better.” He said with a lopsided smile. I wiggled my fingers a bit and nodded.

“Thanks…” I said, taking a sip and a drag of my cigarette. 

“How’s your leg?” He asked me. To be honest, I had completely forgotten. It was only a graze and it stopped hurting after Nathan cleaned it.

“‘Tis but a flesh wound.” I answered. I could see his eyes running over my body worriedly and I sighed, rolling my eyes. “I’m  _ okay _ , Sam. Really.” I said. He held his hands up in defeat.

“Alright, alright. I’m just checkin’. Making sure you don’t have any broken bones n’ what not.” He said, turning off the lamp above us; leaning on the table with his elbows, his hands crossed in front of his chin as the cigarette dangled from his long fingers, gazing out at the night sky. I looked at him briefly, trying to figure him out. He was so open yet closed off at the same time. The room was lit by the bright full moon that shone through the open balcony doors. We sat for a moment in silence, listening to the pure sounds of Italian nature. From the sound of bugs singing softly in the background to the water splashing over each other in laps. It was peaceful. I smiled at him as I admired his tanned skin glowing the moonlight, smoke dancing in the air around him. He broke the silence with a low chuckle. 

“Y’know it’s the little things I’ve been appreciating since I’ve been outta prison lately.” He said, snapping me out of my trance.

“Yeah? Like what?” I asked, taking a drag of my cigarette. He scratched the stubble under his lip with his thumb with thought before taking a drag himself. He shot me a charm filled smile.

“Like… having a good cup of coffee… riding a motorcycle...the sound of the ocean…. Scotch, vodka… Talking to a woman,” he gestured to me briefly and I gave a small smile. “grass even… Not much of it in a Panamanian prison, I can tell ya that. More dirt, sand, and piss puddles than greenery. Any trees around were mostly dead.” He said, a look of depression clouded his hazel eyes for a moment. I could tell the memories haunted him still.

“Not much fun, I’d imagine.” I said and he let out a short but forced chuckle.

“No…. no it was not…” he seemed to go back for a moment, lost in his time spent there. I knew it had to be rough on him and I felt horrible that there was nothing I could do to soothe him. Empathetically, I put a hand on his arm. Almost like a reflex, he covered my hand with his own, brushing his rough thumb over the back of my hand as he stared into space. Butterflies swarmed my tummy at his touch and I suddenly pulled away.

“I heard the story of how you got out from Natey but I haven’t heard your version of it. I’m sure he skipped a few things here and there…” I said to him and he smirked, knowing it was exactly something his little brother would do. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to though.” I added. He took a generous gulp of vodka before reaching for the bottle again.

“How much time do you have?” He asked and I made a thinking face.

“How much is left in that bottle?” I replied. I knew he couldn’t resist an opportunity to tell a story. With an attractively mischievous grin, he began to top up our glasses.

“So, one night I was in my cell doing a couple of sit-ups….” he began. I was in for a long night.


	7. Chapter 7

**__ **

**_Sam’s POV_ **

I hopped off the plane, lighting myself a cigarette as I went. A chill blew off of the icy Scottish waters and I pulled my fleeced denim closer. Nathan followed out behind me, zipping up his brown leather jacket and Sunny flipped up the fleece collar on her plum leather jacket, tugging at the black fingerless gloves on her small hands. She jumped out, landing with a cute little bounce. I hid my smile with a drag of my cigarette before Victor popped his head out. “You kids be careful up there. Watch each other’s backs. Bring me back somethin’ shiny, will ya?” He said, handing my little brother a communicator. As the two continued to talk, in my peripheral, I watched Sunny walk over to a cliff, watching nature’s scenery as she shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. I approached her, standing next to her to enjoy the view with her as she lit a cigarette for herself.

“Pretty right?” I asked her as I looked at the amber trees on pure white snow against the perfectly blue sky, jagged rocks cutting across the landscape. She took a drag and placed her hands on her hips.

“It’s gorgeous. Looks just like a painting. I wanna take a picture to show my friends when I get home.” She said, never tearing her eyes away from the dark colored ocean while pulling her phone from her jacket. I averted my gaze from her as she bit down on a cherry red painted lip and snapped a quick photo. I couldn’t stop staring at her since our talk two days ago. Even this morning she made me a little nervous as we sat outside the hotel sharing a cigarette and coffee as we were now. I knew I had to get over it though. ‘ _ A girl like that for a guy like me… It’s a miracle she even talks to me.’ _ I thought, fidgeting with a hangnail on my finger.

“You reckon we’ll find the treasure today?” She asked me and a splash of excitement and anticipation hit me like a truck. I enjoyed when she talked sometimes. I liked the fact that she had a tendency to speak like a cowboy...

“God, I hope so…” I mumbled, taking a drag of my cigarette. She nodded with a wide grin full of optimism.

“I think so.” She said taking a deep breath and a drag of her cigarette, scratching a spot on the back of her head. “Or if not  _ thee treasure,  _ then at least some sort of direction on how to get to it.” She looked at me and I just smirked, hoping some of that optimism would rub off on me. 

“I believe you.” I answered, looking into the bright early morning sky. Suddenly, Nathan approached us with a sigh, cracking his back. “We all set, little brother?” I ask him.

“Yup. Good to go. You ready, Sunny?” He asked her and she put out her cigarette in the snow. She nodded and turned to us with a blinding smile.

“Ready when you are.” She said.

“Alright then, lead the way.” I gestured and we began our adventure.

We climbed cliffs and descended rock slides until we reached the site. Shoreline supply boxes were strategically placed everywhere, filled with all kindsa shit. Weapons, dynamite, hand grenades… You name it, they had it. “What’s Shoreline?” Sunny asked.

“Well… remember that woman with Rafe? Sully told us it’s her crew. Buncha mercenaries for hire essentially.” Nathan answered. She had her ah-ha moment and didn’t question any further.

“Have you guys ever  _ seen _ that woman?” She asked with a grin, a blush playing across her cheeks as she spoke of her. “She was  _ ridiculously _ hot….” Where I looked surprised, my eyebrows shooting up at the amusing thought of her being with another woman, Nathan frowned.

“I saw her fist on my cheek and the bottom of her foot but that was about the extent of it. But yes. Beautiful.” He said with sarcasm and Sunny burst into laughter. He pouted a bit and I grinned, joining in on the laugh.

“You let a girl kick your ass?” I laughed a bit too hard and they both stopped to stare at me. I was laughing alone and Sunny bore holes into my skull with a perfectly sculpted brow raised.

“Want me to kick  _ your _ ass?” She asked with a hint of warning in her voice. She set back on her heel with her arms crossed. To tell you the truth,  _ I did not want that problem _ . I’d seen her fight first hand and what she did to those men I did not want done to me. I liked my neck where it was. I pulled myself a cigarette and flicked my zippo.

“I’m good.” I said, taking a few steps back. She smirked and shot me a wink that damn near set my heart ablaze.

“That’s what I thought, bitch.” She said before walking to a cliff to climb.

“ _ Woah- _ ‘bitch’? That's low, Sunny.” I smiled to myself as I watched her walk away. 

Suddenly, Nathan shushed us and signaled for us to take cover. Sunny pulled her pistol from her leg holster and cocked it, holding it ready and I did the same. We watched as Nathan moved and followed accordingly. He silently took down a soldier and I moved ahead to assist. Sunny jumped another and as we continued to move that way, we didn’t have to use our guns after all. We put them on safety and tucked them away again until we needed to use them. “So Rafe bought up all this land, you said?” I asked. Just as I finished speaking, the sound of explosions took place in the distance.

“Yeah… and evidently they’ve gotten tired of digging.” Nathan said.

“So they resort to explosives? Around artifacts? Because that’s smart as hell.” Sunny commented, sardonically. I grinned as we pushed on.

“So Sunny, I was curious…” I began as I followed behind her.

“About?” She looked over her shoulder as we trudged through the snow. She’d always mention it but I never took the time to ask. Why not now?

“You said you’d been in jail for a couple of months and you’ve been giving my little brother the third degree about it.” I began and she chuckled as Nathan gave a loud groan. “What’s the story on that?” I asked. She stopped in her tracks and began speaking enthusiastically with her hands as my brother walked ahead of us.

“So!  _ Your brother _ decided to trust this tea sippin’ two faced mother fucker, right? And I told him  _ from the beginning _ that I did not trust this guy. But did he listen to me?  _ Nope! _ Sully didn’t trust him either and tried to tell him too! Still didn’t listen. Cut to a month later, we’re breaking into this palace and—”

“Palace  _ museum. _ ” Nathan corrected her and she rolled her eyes hard.

“ _ Whatever _ . This palace  _ museum _ in Istanbul. We find what we’re lookin’ for and this  _ asshole _ …. Fuckin’ turned on us as soon as he got his hands on the stones. Left us in the museum to get caught. We had to make a run for it and we were so close but they still got us. Next thing you know, we’re in jail for three months and Sully had to come bail us out. Nothing but a dirty ass bed and a literal pot to piss in.  _ Such bullshit! _ ” She yelled.

“AND I SAID I’M SORRY!” Nathan exclaimed.

“Ain’t no sorry! You don’t listen! He was too busy getting distracted by Australian ass.” She told me.

“She had a nice ass!” My brother told us as if it were a proper defense.

“While I agree with you, still. You were distracted and you didn’t listen.” She said, slapping the back of his head before we descended down a cliff. She looked a bit nervous about it but she grunted and climbed down anyway. That’s when she stopped us and told us to quiet down. Below us, in a tall patch of grass was a pair of soldiers walking to their posts. One branches off informing the other that he had to take a leak and his friend moved on without him as he stood beneath us.

“I got this…” Sunny said, moving along the cliffs to be right over him. I got a little worried.

“Nate what is she doing? She’s gonna get us caught-“

“No she won’t. I taught her this one.” He replied with a slick grin. I furrowed my brows as I watched her. She readied herself to be in the right position and pulled out her pistol, turning it upside down in her hand. Just before the man could undo his belt, she let go of the cliff, wacking him upside the head roughly with her gun, knocking him out quietly and crouched in the tall grass. I was impressed.

“C’mon y’all! There’s a whole fort of these guys!” She whisper-shouted to us. We followed suit and dropped into the grass, taking cover. 

“Alright guys, Sunny flank left, Sam you take the right, I’ll hit ‘em in the middle.” Nathan told us and we followed through with the plan. Although, it wasn’t as easy as we thought...

We fought several Shoreline mercenaries that morning. Honestly, I could’ve used a break. My fists were starting to hurt and I didn’t know if my nose could take another breakage. I grunted as my fist collided with a man’s jaw, shaking off the soreness as I went. My arms were getting heavier and it was becoming harder to breathe. “I gotta quit smokin’...” I said to myself as I pulled my gun to shoot and punch my way out of the tight space. After a single punch disoriented me a bit, I panicked a moment. There were too many of them and they were beginning to beat me and surround me; had me backed into a corner.  _ ‘Shit. This is it. This is how I go…’ _ I thought for a moment. After trying so hard to fight to the end, I closed my eyes, expecting to have my lights knocked out when I heard three shots fire in close range; bodies hitting the ground one after the other. 

When I opened my eyes, I saw Sunny throw her empty gun away and run towards a wall; she kicked off from it, throwing her weight around as she wrapped her arms around a man’s neck and pulled hard. He landed on his back and never got up. Another mercenary approached her from behind. He was a whole head and shoulders above her. She turned to deliver a quite impressive high kick but he simply blocked her. He blocked all of her attacks like it was nothing and I could see her getting tired. He gave a punch so hard it damn near knocked her out. But this guy… I’d seen guys like these before. The ones that enjoy the struggle. With one hand he picked her up by the neck, choking her and held her against a wall, her legs dangling a few feet from the frozen grass. I felt a flash of adrenaline and the protector in me awakened. The same one that tried to protect my little brother for so long.

“HEY! HANDS OFF, ASSHOLE!” I shouted, grabbing an empty long range gun. I tossed it upside down in my hands and bashed it against his head golf style in one fell swoop. As he was knocked off balance, he dropped Sunny. She clutched her throat trying to catch her breath a moment as I attempted to wrestle the guy into submission. We were around the same size so it was a bit of a challenge. But I’ll be damned if I let someone put their hands on her that way. With much struggle, I managed to pin his arms down enough to leave him wide open and I head butted him. I was hard headed as hell so it didn’t hurt me much. When Sunny regained her strength, she kicked him in the back of his knees with a mighty yell, cracking his neck and he fell before her feet.  _ ‘Fuck, that was hot…’  _ I thought as I watched her wipe a bit of blood off the corner of her lips with the back of her hand.

Immediately, I went over to her, holding her petite face in my hands as I listened to Nathan finish the fight, praising himself for a job well done. I was more concerned with Sunny’s well being. “You okay?” I asked her, stroking over the area on her cheekbone that has already begun to bruise as my brother called out for us. She nodded but I could tell she was a bit shaken. She could hold her own in a fight and she was a tough cookie but the fights were getting more and more dangerous, the closer we got to finding Avery’s grave. “Look at me,” I told her as she zoned out for a moment. I stared into her big shiny browns and spoke as honestly and as sincerely as possible. “You’re alright. I won’t let anything happen to you, I swear…” I didn’t mean to let myself be so vulnerable right then but it happened.

“Sam…” She said, her lips trembling. I pulled her into a tight hug.

“You saved my ass again, sweetheart. Let’s try not to make this a reoccurring thing though, yeah?” I joked. I could feel her body relaxing in my arms and she pushed herself away from me with a deep inhale. All this time I had been worried about her slowing us down but she was saving me left and right. I should’ve been listening to my little brother… “We’re almost there. I can feel it.” I told her. She just lit herself a cigarette with a nod and began scavenging for guns and ammo. I followed suit and placed a hand on her shoulder on my way over to Nathan. I puffed on my cigarette as my brother also looked for extra ammunition.

“How is she?” He asked me. I sighed.

“Well she saved my life again and then a guy almost killed her just now, so…. She’s about as great as she can be…” Nathan’s head whipped around as I spoke.

“She what?” He asked worriedly. As our heads turned to the fort, she walked out strapped to the nines with guns, her head hanging low.

“She uh… had a slight brush with death. Guy almost choked her out. Definitely wasn’t fun.” I mumbled before taking a drag. Nathan ran over to her and they embraced each other tightly. I sighed, slightly jealous that my younger brother got to know her before me. After a few encouraging words from my brother, she handed out the extra ammo.

“The graveyard should be just through here.” Nathan told us and we followed him into a thick brush of the forest.

We arrived at the graveyard, multiple head stones of varying shapes and sizes were covered in snow as a light flurry fell from the sky. The three of us split up to find Avery’s grave but ultimately Nathan had found it. We pressed around on the headstone hoping it would trigger something but nothing was working. I turned to look back at Sunny who was staring at the plaque with intent. Her eyes narrowed and she raised a brow. “Somethin’ bothering you?” I ask her. She takes a few steps forward to get a better look at the headstone and fixes her mouth to say something.

“I… I don’t know if it should be to the left or to the right but the skull isn’t turned correctly… Or am I just reachin’?” She asked us. The light bulb went off in both of our heads with a grin.

“I love you, Sunny.” Nathan said simply and she crossed her arms with a smile.

“I know.” She seemed quite proud of herself. I watched as Nathan turned the skull to the right and a rumble began beneath our feet. Suddenly, a secret stairway appeared before us, right next to his grave.

“I bet you Shoreline hasn’t found this.” my brother laughs proudly in amusement as the three of us peered into the opening. It was dark and dusty down there.

“Whaddya think we’ll find in it?” Sunny asked, scrunching up her nose that had begun to turn red and chapped against the harsh cold.

“Let’s find out…” I said pulling a flashlight from my pocket. “Ladies first?” I teased, picking up that she wasn’t going to enjoy this very much. She looked at me with a smile before speaking to me in a soft and kind voice.

“Sure! After you,  _ Princess. _ ” She said sarcastically, gesturing to the entrance.

“Oh, ha ha. You’re funny.” I replied unamused as Nathan chuckled. She pulled out her flashlight as my brother descended the stairway and we followed behind him.

As we navigated the hall we found ourselves in a crypt. Sunny posted herself up in a corner, nervously tapping her foot as my brother and I looked around. I chuckled at her as I looked inside an open coffin; Nothing but spiderwebs and dry bones. Everywhere. I sighed looking at her. “You hangin’ in there, Sunny?” I asked her loudly. She mumbled something incoherently, scratching her head.

“She always did get a little antsy around skeletons.” Nathan told me as he shined his light on the wall of open coffins. 

“Really?” Oh, I was  _ absolutely _ amused by this. “You mean to tell me you get shot at all day, climb mountains, kick people’s asses like they stole your last fry but  _ skeletons…? _ That’s what gets you?” I teased her about it mercilessly as we continued down a hall to more coffins.

“Oh, fuck off!” She sneered, rubbing her hands together to warm them up. She backed into a far corner of the room and when I saw what I saw, I decided not to tell her. I just wanted to see what would happen. I tapped my brother in the chest with the back of my hand pointing towards her with a sly grin. Sunny sat down on a half opened coffin, not realizing that a body was half hanging out of it. She set back on her hands and looked down to swing her feet when she noticed the dusty skull staring back at her. Almost immediately she screamed and ran over to my brother, gripping his jacket tightly as she hid behind him. I keeled over in laughter with my brother as he pushed on to the next room.

“It’s not funny!” She exclaimed, punching me on the back of my arm rather hard. It left a lingering sting as I massaged the spot, still laughing at her reaction as I followed him.

We came across a larger room suddenly and my laughter ceased. A depiction of the crucified trio stood before us in bold marble. 

“Sunny… I think this might be a you thing…” Nathan said as we assessed the situation before us. I looked over at her as a smirk curled her lips. She strutted around analyzing the contraption and circling around to find a door behind the wall. She pressed against it briefly, however it didn’t open. I stood next to her to assist but still it didn’t budge. She twisted her lips as she looked around. On the wall behind her were lamps ready to be lit. 

“Aye, Smokey. Light it.” My brother said in our general direction.

“I don’t know which one of us you’re talking to but regardless … that hurts my feelings.” I commented as Sunny snickered, flicking her black matte zippo. I flicked mine and assisted lighting the lamps. Suddenly the contraption shifted and a magnifying glass appeared where the crosses were. Streams of light began to shine on the door in a pattern meant to be adjusted and match the gems laid into it.

“Well fuck…” she mumbled. She walked around the wall again to see through the peepholes near the crosses, smiling as she immediately figured out what to do. “Sit tight, boys. I got this.” She said as she leaned over, giving me an incredible view of her ass.

“ _ Please… _ take your time.” I smirked as I leaned against a nearby wall to watch her work.


	8. Chapter 8

**__ **

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

By the time we concluded our work for the day, I was ready to have a mental breakdown. It was no different from any other job I’d done with Nathan but this time I really almost kicked the bucket; several times. Floors had crumbled beneath my feet, Shoreline appeared again when we left the crypt so that was another fight and a half, and we ran into Nadine again; only this time it was a less than pleasant experience. Nathan almost got impaled by spikes, Sam almost set off booby traps maybe twice…  _ all before 4 o’clock.  _ It was exhausting. All things considered though, we now had a new lead on the treasure. A coin from a test of greed set up by Avery himself. It led us to a place in South Africa, just off the coast of Madagascar. So that was a plus. 

I entered my hotel room, immediately adjusting the heat. I was freezing and everything hurt. My back, my face, my hands, and every part of my legs. To top it all off, my clothes were still a little wet. “Shit…” I cursed with a shiver as I crashed onto my bed. I felt grateful to be on one, period. I’d been shot at and beaten up all day… I sat up with a groan, my muscles aching in my lower back as I did. I shed myself of my purple jacket, the skin on my arms damp from sweat and water from our escape. I wanted to cry but Nate needed me strong. And now that feelings were beginning to arise, I had personal reasons for wanting to help save Sam. 

We had grown a bit closer as I watched the brothers walk ahead of me, fanboying over the late pirate’s history. Every now and then, he’d turn around to look at me, walking backwards as he spoke just to keep me in the loop. I remembered how I felt those butterflies in my stomach as the childlike excitement filled his weathered eyes.  _ ‘Well now ya done it…’ _ I thought with a groan. I pulled the boots off my feet, relieved that my toes could finally get some air. I looked at my hands as I peeled the gloves off, revealing swollen knuckles; my fingers cut up and my nails dirty. I went into the bathroom and stared into the sink a moment, gathering my thoughts before looking into the mirror at my somewhat wounded face. I had a bruise on my cheekbone, my lip slightly swollen, and I had a cut on my forehead. All things considered, I looked okay. I thought I’d look worse. 

A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts and I grew nervous. Paranoia ensued as I walked to my door, picking up my deserter from the countertop of the dresser as I went. When I looked in the peephole, I sighed in relief. It was just Sam. I opened the door and let him in with a tired groan. He eyeballed me, standing in the doorway a moment as I placed my gun back on the counter, a worried expression playing across his features. “You okay?” He asked me carefully. I laughed, shaking my head.

“As okay as I can be.” I replied, picking up my duffle bag and opening it up on my bed. He chuckled gently as he closed the door behind him and grabbed me by the elbow.

“Sunny, I know we had a few close calls, but …. I mean  _ c’mon _ , we did it! Okay? We did th- you, me, and Nate-  _ we  _ did this, sweetheart. And we’ve got the jump on Rafe for the most part.” He told me. I smiled to myself, not knowing what else to do with my face in the midst of my thoughts.

“They know we’re headed to King’s Bay, Sam-”

“Ah, but they don’t know  _ where…. _ on King’s Bay.  _ We do. _ ” He said, gesturing between us. Something about the way he was talking just didn’t sit right with me. It didn’t just feel like his life depended on it, but like he was obsessed with it. Like he wouldn’t be complete as a person if he didn’t find this treasure. I took a deep sigh, readying myself to say something but he put his hands on my shoulders and gave me a gut wrenching smile. “We did it, Sunny. And  _ we _ … deserve a little celebration.” He smirked deviously. The glint in his eye told me everything I needed to know about how the rest of my night would go.

“Samuel Drake-” I began but he took my hands in his.

“You got your ass handed to you today. You at the very  _ least  _ deserve something fun for yourself. So whaddya say? We  _ are _ in Scotland… Wanna hit the pubs?” He asks, holding my cold, clammy fingers in between his massive, warm ones. I melted at the look he gave me and groaned, his smiling growing with every passing second.

“ _ Alright _ , just... quit it with the puppy dog eyes. You’re killin’ me, smalls. I gotta shower first.” I told him, walking to my bag to pull out a fresh set of clothes.

“Awesome, I’ll meet you outside in an hour?” He asked. I turned to look at him as he nervously bumped his fists together and I smiled.

“Yeah. An hour's fine.” I said, gathering up my showering materials in my arms and hitting the bathroom. “You can see yourself out, bud.” I say closing the door behind me.

“You sure I can’t stay awhile and listen to you take a shower?” He asked in a playfully suggestive tone as I began to undress. My jaw dropped and my face turned red. Luckily he couldn’t see that.

“Go away, Sam!” I shouted with a laugh. I could hear him laughing all the way out the door, that familiar clicking sound let me know I was alone in my room again.

After my shower, I dressed in a simple black long sleeved shirt and black jeans with boots to match. I wrapped my hair up in a towel as I put on a bit of black liner and mascara. I couldn’t do much more than that with my face hurting so much. When my hair dried I grabbed up my wallet, keys, and jacket before leaving. As I placed the gold studded black leather jacket on my body, I patted myself down for my cigarettes. I pulled one out with my teeth and just held it between my lips until I made it outside. Sam stood out there clad in a clean brown Henley and torn jeans. For some reason I noticed they made his ass look great in them and I looked up and away to avoid staring. As I pushed the door open, the cold hit me gently. It wasn’t as harsh in the city as it was in the mountains and I was grateful for that. I wasn’t sure my fingers could take anymore of this cold weather. I pulled up beside him, nudging him in his ribs and he looked at me with a smile. “Where’s Nate and Sully?” I asked as we began to walk the street.

“They didn’t wanna come. Too tired.” He said, rubbing his own sleepy eyes. I gave a fake gasp and chuckled.

“You’re kidding?” I replied sarcastically. He took a drag of his cigarette with a smile. “So where’re we goin’?” I asked.

“Well I heard there was a pub just up the street. Supposedly they have the strongest, smoothest whiskey in Scotland. I’m a gamblin’ man so I’m willing to bet on it.” He said, making various hand gestures. “How ‘bout you, sister?” I looked up at the sky as it began to shift into an orange blur.

“What are we bettin’?” I asked simply, never taking my gaze from the beautiful sunset.

“First one to get drunk has to flirt with the winner’s person of choice.” He said smugly. I turned to look at him with an intrigued expression, chewing the inside of my cheek.

“ _ Any person? _ Like say…. I picked out a little old Scottsman-”

“-Um, I’d love it if you didn’t.” He rebuttals and I burst into laughter. He shook his head, taking in the scenery with that smile of his. One where he’s not up to anything, just a genuine smile. My cheeks heated up at the sound of his boisterous voice. I kicked around the loose rocks beneath my feet and playfully nudged him with my shoulder as we came upon the pub.

“This it?” I asked, tuning up my face a bit. It was a shoddy looking place. Not much decoration to it but the people inside were lively. Mostly full of women looking for men and old drunkards by the jukebox. Sam held the door open for me and I stepped inside.

“I guess we seat ourselves, huh?” He asked, looking around the room for some empty seating.

“How about you get the drinks and I’ll find us somewhere to sit?” I said unzipping my jacket. He nodded and turned to leave but I grabbed the back of his shirt to stop him a moment. “And don’t do that thing you do.”

“What thing?” He asked with an amused grin.

“That thing where you act like some asshole American.”

“Am I not an asshole American?” He questioned backing away from me with a smirk. He had a point. I rolled my eyes, fighting off the smile that was trying to make itself present. “ _ I’ll behave! _ ” I heard him call after me as I gravitated towards a booth in a corner near the jukebox.

I sat down as I took off my jacket and began to bite my nails as I looked around the room. My eyes seemed to immediately go to Sam. Women nearby all looked at him, fixing their hair and trying to catch his attention but he didn’t even bother to look in their direction. I watched his tall frame as he rolled up the sleeves of his thermal to his strong forearms and leaned onto the counter as he ordered us a bottle. He turned his head to see where I was and shot me a wink and a smile when he found me, continuing to not even notice the women around him. I smirked and flipped him off. He grabbed his chest and made a face. “Ouch!” He mouthed to me before letting loose a soft chuckle. I blushed as he grabbed the bottle and paid the bartender before approaching the table. He placed two glasses and the bottle on the table, easing into the seat slowly as he groaned in pain. I winced as I heard his knees crack a bit. He leaned into the corner of the seat with a tired grunt as I grabbed the bottle. I poured our glasses and smirked as I watched him light a cigarette.

“Jesus. Maybe you should’ve stayed at the hotel, too, old man.” I teased. He chuckled and exhaled a cloud of smoke, rubbing out a pain in his shoulder.

“And miss out on some Scottish whiskey and the company of a good woman? I don’t think so.” He said, pinching the bridge of his bandaged nose. I smiled to myself as I pushed his glass toward him. He picked it up swiftly, raising it before us to toast. “Here’s to Avery and damn good whiskey.” We clinked glasses before taking a long sip. I sighed as the liquid sent a calming burn through my chest. He nodded his head, looking at the glass. “That’s not bad at all.”

We sat for hours just talking and joking about. The flirty banter began to grow the drunker we got. It started with his little touches on my hand here and there. I would hit and squeeze his forearms when he’d say something flattering. Then came the compliments. “You’re a hard woman, Sunny Spurrs, and I mean that with absolute respect.” He told me as he poured us another glass. I gave a giggle as I watched him down his entire glass almost immediately. “I mean I’m not sexist, y’know. Hell, I’d say I’m a feminist! I believe women can do everything a man does and maybe even a bit better but you? Boy, you’ve got me  _ beat _ .” He told me. I rested my chin in my hand as I watched him drunkenly spew out from the mouth. He was very talkative when tipsy and the flush across his cheeks made it even more adorable. I caught myself staring into his bright eyes as he spoke. “You drunk yet?” He asked me as I started on a cigarette. I smirked, not giving away my intoxication status. “Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about our little deal, sweetheart.” He sniffled, pouring us both another drink. The bottle was nearing its end and it was time to determine the winner. 

  
  


**_Sam’s POV_ **

  
  


I was pretty drunk. The whiskey was good but I knew fully well it would take another half of a bottle to really put me there. I smiled as I watched her cheeks turn red, hanging her head in her hands as if it were too heavy to hold up anymore. “You drunk yet?” I ask her again.

“I-” she suddenly hiccups and giggles uncontrollably, burying her face in her arms. I felt my heart explode, looking at the adorable mess that was Sunny Spurrs. I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading and I placed a hand on her shoulder to shake her about.

“ _ Ahhhh _ , See! I totally knew I’d beat you.” I teased her. I lied. I was just as drunk; I just happened to be able to hide it better. The poor girl could barely sit up straight.

“Mother bitch…. This is such….. _ bullshit _ .” She mumbled and I cracked up.

“Deal’s a deal, Sunny.” I said leaning back in my seat, scanning the crowd for an unsuspecting person.

“Just take your pick, asshole.” She grumbled, rubbing her temples as she watched me.

“Shhhh! These things take time…. I wanna fully enjoy watching you suffer.” I chuckled mischievously.

“You’re horrible.” She whines. My eyes land on a man sitting at the bar. Old guy, dressed in a simple green collared shirt and slacks. In complete honesty he looked like Victor but with glasses. A bit of laughter crept out as I turned back around to face Sunny and light a cigarette. 

“Old guy at the bar, 9 o clock.” I told her, scratching my hairline with my thumb. Her eyes darted to the bar and she groaned aggressively.

“You’re literally the worst- you know that right?” She said standing up, using the table to steady herself. I stood to help her as she tripped a little. We were both giggling messes. 

“Alright, go get em, tiger.” I teased, following her to the bar, guiding her by the shoulders. She turned around in my hands and panicked a little.

“What do I even say?!” She whisper-yelled to me.

“I dunno. He’s an old guy and you’re a... supple young woman,” I told her, blushing around my ears a bit as I did. “Easier target than Rafe. Use your accent on him. Be a seductive southern beauty or something…” She looked up at me from beneath her lush black lashes and rolled her eyes, snatching herself out of my grip.

“Fine.” She hissed.

We stood at the bar side by side, the old man standing closest to her. I turned my back to her, actively listening to her as she lazily posed against the bar. “Sir, I just have to tell you…. I  _ love  _ your shirt. It’s so handsome on you…” she mewed to the poor old man. I covered my mouth trying my best not to laugh and turned to face the bar so I could watch the scene from my peripheral. She had her hand on his shoulder, rubbing her finger over the collar of the man’s shirt slowly.

“Why t’ank ya, lass.” He responded politely.

“Personally, I think it’d look better on the floor…” she said hesitantly and I coughed on my smoke, luckily loud enough to cover my laughter. She kicked my shin quickly but never turned to look at me. It hurt but it was still funny.

“Well I’m flattered, this coming from a beautiful young lass like yourself but I’m afraid I’m spoken for.” The man answered, flashing the wedding band on his finger. I could see Sunny’s ears turn beet red as I buried my face in my arms, laughing uncontrollably. It was over before she even started.

“Ah! I see. Well I hope you enjoy the rest of your night. Sorry, sir.” She said abruptly, walking away to the hallway near the bathrooms. I followed her, practically wheezing as she leaned against a wall. I placed my hands on her shoulders, still trying to catch my breath and she rolled her eyes hard. I hugged her tightly, still cracking up.

“‘ _ I think it would look better on the floor?!’ _ ” I began to tear up a bit and she just crossed her arms.

“I’m glad that you’re finding this so amusing…” She looked so pitiful, I decided to give her a bit of relief. I leaned against the wall facing her.

“Pick a person.” I said. She perked up and inches closer to me, peering past my shoulder. I was getting a little nervous to be honest. I couldn’t see who she was picking. Then a smirk took place on her curvy lips. Truthfully, I felt kinda bad for her. “I’m not gonna let you go out like that alone.”

“Are you sure?” She asked me and I nodded.

“Go for it.” I said, picking a bit of leftover dirt from my nails. She gave a cutely devious grin and began to scan the crowd behind me for a moment. 

“Because I’m a nice person, I’m gonna give you something fairly easy. Cute as you are it shouldn’t be too hard.” She told me with a wink. I physically felt my face heat up. ‘ _ She thinks I’m cute? _ ’ I thought with a chuckle.

“Dark hair, brown eyes, green jacket- 2 o clock.” I smiled as I turned my head, trying not to look suspicious. 

“Shit….” I cursed. She was  _ beautiful _ ; tall girl with an astute face and dark wavy hair, fashionably cropped above her shoulders. I watched with a smirk as she laughed with her friends. “ _ Sunny Spurrs _ ….”

“She’s hot, right?” She grinned, nodding her head. I bit my lip and shook my head in agreement as I admired her long legs clad in black leggings and brown thigh high boots. “‘ _ Go get em, tiger… _ ’” She said in a mocking tone, backing away into the bathroom. Something was beginning to feel off.

“Wait- you’re not gonna stay and see what happens?” I asked her. A Cheshire expression appeared on her face as she opened the door.

“I think I already know how this is gonna go down…” she said simply before entering the bathroom.

“Your confidence in me is astounding.” I joked as I ran my fingers through my hair and adjusted my pants to make sure I didn’t look a mess. I took a deep breath before approaching her….

  
  
  


**_Sunny’s POV_ **

To say it was a setup would be an understatement. I put him in line for the gallows. This girl was  _ definitely  _ gay. The moment I saw her, my gaydar began pinging off the walls. He was gonna embarrass the hell out of himself. I could just see it now. He’d walk over with his chest all puffed out, staring at her with those beautiful hazel eyes of his, trying his best to be alluring. He’d drop his line and then  _ BAM! _ She’d hit him with a “Sorry I’m into girls.” It would happen in  _ seconds _ . I cackled to myself just thinking about it. “Poor Sammy.” I said as I opened a stall to use the bathroom. I washed my hands afterward and stood in the mirror to look at my drunk self, my eyes half lidded and my body swaying a tad uncontrollably.  _ ‘Git it together, Sunny…’ _ I thought as I used my finger to wipe away the makeup under my eyes that ran. The swelling on my lip had gone down and I was back to looking pretty normal. As I pulled my lipstick from my pocket, I put a little on my finger and tapped a bit on my lip. I was beginning to feel a bit aroused and I knew that Sam was going to wanna find someone to leave with after this. Truthfully, so did I. That’s when she walked in, groaning. The girl I just set him up with. She glanced at me a moment as she approached the bathroom sink to put her purse down and touch up her makeup same as I. She really was beautiful. Her eyes were big and brown with dark lashes and she had a cute shape to her pink lips. Her cheeks flush against her pale skin. ‘ _ God, I hope she has an accent! That would be super cute… _ ’ I thought as I rubbed the leftover lipstick from my finger onto the side of my pants. She looked at me as she played around with her short wavy locks...

“I’ve never seen you here b’fore.” She spoke in a strong voice, a Scottish accent playing off of her words. ‘ _ Yes! _ ’ I thought as my heart fluttered. 

“How do you know you haven’t seen me before?” I asked her, adjusting my shirt and straightening my posture. I could see her eyes scan me up and down in my peripheral.

“It’s my local. I come here all the time.” She smiled. “Trust me. I  _ definitely  _ would’ve remembered seeing you…” she mewled. I smirked as I scratched my head. “American? I heard your accent. What are you doin’ slumming around these parts?”

“You caught me. I’m here on vacation with some friends. You may have met one of them. Tall guy, rugged charm-”

“ _ Horrible _ pickup lines?” She added abruptly and I snorted, giggling.

“That’s the one.” I chuckled and she smiled at me.

“He seemed like a nice guy but I turned him down…” she said leaning her butt against the counter. I leaned on my hand to face her.

“Aww, what happened? He not your type?” I asked.

“Not exactly.” she mumbled before inching closer to me. “But you are…” She ran a long pale finger against mine and I shivered. 

‘ _ I fuckin’ knew it… _ ’ I thought. I was in for it tonight…


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut warning 😎

**__ **

**_Sam’s POV_ **

_ ‘I can’t believe this shit…’ _ I thought. I sat on the bed tearing my hands through my hair. She duped me. She did me  _ dirty _ . “But how did she know she was…” I tried to work it all out but I was at a loss. This wasn’t how my night was supposed to go… I would’ve turned that girl down if she offered me to come home with her but I didn’t even get to do that. If anything, I was hoping to spend my night with Sunny. I never said it out loud but I liked her. A lot. More than I meant to. And now she was spending the night with somebody else… 

The walk back to the hotel felt like a walk of shame as I watched the two women flirt and hold hands ahead of me. I remembered the sour feeling in my chest as I watched Sunny get on with someone else. And when they closed the door and I could no longer see them, I was left with my imagination alone. I fell back on my bed and let my mind wander. ‘ _ What are you guys doin’ in there? _ ’ I thought to myself. ‘ _ Maybe I could… _ ’ “No. Nah that’s stupid…” But was it really beneath me if I just… I mean I used to do it as a kid so why was this any different? “Nope. I’m not gonna. You’re a respectable man…” I told myself. The alcohol suddenly began to drive my desires and I groaned, giving in. “Ah, screw it. I have to know.” I stood up abruptly to leave, grabbing my hotel key as I did.

I closed the door gently; she was only a door or two down from me. I carefully tiptoed to the door and pressed my ear to it. From the other side, all I could hear were the softest of moans and profanities being sent into the room. My heart skipped before speeding up ten times as fast as normal. I could hear the bed creaking and the sound of heavy breathing overlapping one another. I gulped in absolute need as my brows furrowed. I hated this. I wanted to be there and it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that this girl just came in and swept her from under me. Hopefully, it hadn’t been something serious. Hopefully, it was a one night stand. ‘ _ And I hope- _ ’ My thoughts were interrupted by a loud thump and a high pitched moan, gasping for air. Was it Sunny? ‘ _ God, I hope so… _ ’ I thought as I continued to listen to the sexual symphony from the other side.

I turned and let my back rest on the door, throwing my head back as I closed my eyes and tried to picture what was going on. I could see Sunny pushing the girls hair behind her ear as she planted kisses all over her face, neck, and chest. I imagined them groping each other, licking every delicious part of each other, their bodies rolling against each other in a beautiful rhythm. That’s when my little friend popped up (well not little- but you get it). I had heard all I needed to hear and I headed back to my room with a bit of pep in my step, unbuckling my jeans as I did.

I slammed my door closed and sat at my desk as I pulled out my smartphone, scrolling through the pictures taken from today until I could find one with Sunny in it. There was one I had taken of her before we had gotten into any fights for the day. She stood at this cliff, leaning against a massive rock as she smoked and looked off into the sunrise. The sun had hit her just right and she was posed up, waiting for Nathan to finish scouting ahead. At that moment, I didn’t think anyone could look so beautiful. I took the picture without her knowing, a perfect candid. If she’d seen it she would’ve forced me to delete it if she didn’t like it and I didn’t want that. I wanted to keep it. 

I zoomed in on her face, studying her every feature before slipping my pants down my legs. My cock sprang from its confines standing tall and proud. I hissed as the cool air hit my sensitive skin. I shook my head shamefully. “I’m doin this, aren't I?” I grumbled as I smacked it lightly. Then I remembered hearing those moans. I didn’t know who it was but I wanted to believe so badly that it was hers. Holding my imaginative visuals, I slouched in the seat to get comfortable. I played those noises out in my head as I began pumping myself, starting from the tip. A slew of curses came out as I looked at her face, the plumpness of her lips, remembering how her hips would swing as she walked, how she would draw out her accent when she talked real slow. If I was that old man at the pub, I would’ve folded instantly. My hips bucked into my fist as my legs started to numb, my breath beginning to heave as I starved for her touch. I imagined her bouncing in my lap, her pleasured moans being voiced in my ears like music. Letting out a groan, I picked up speed. 

“Fuck…” I gripped myself tightly, gasping in a moment of pleasure with a breathless laugh. I hated that it wasn’t me in there giving her the fuck she deserved. A burn swelled in the pit of my stomach as I became a bit more vocal. I was close. I dropped my phone as I gripped the desk before me, grunting as I came undone. My seed spurting all over the carpeted floor. I moaned as I let myself relax. I felt bad. I definitely couldn’t let her know that this just happened. I chocked it up to a simple “Hail Mary” and began to clean up. It was gonna be a helluva plane ride tomorrow….

  
  


**_Sunny’s POV_ **

I woke up the next morning, wrapped up naked in the bed sheets; my joints aching and my head throbbing. My mouth tasted like isopropyl. I took a deep breath, grabbing my head. I let myself stretch out, feeling around the bed but I seemed to be the only one in it. That girl from last night… I think her name was Heather. “Welp… she’s gone now.” I noticed on the nightstand there was a note, a glass of water, and two little blue pills. When I sat up there was a bandage around my arm and a patch on my side. With a grunt I reached for the note and opened it, reading it with a squint. 

_ Thanks for last night. You were so great. I can honestly say I have never met a woman like you. I hope you don’t mind but the nurse in me patched you up after our time together. You’re a lovely lass and I hope you and your team are successful in finding your treasure. _

_ xxx- Heidi _

_ P.S. I left you aspirin for your hangover. Eat something heavy and take it easy today! Look me up next time you’re in Scotland ;)  _

I smiled in satisfaction. She didn’t have to do any of this for me but she did. ‘ _ Her name was Heidi… And shes a fucking nurse?! _ ’ I thought as I read. I flexed my lip and shrugged. “That’s hot…” I mumbled as I took the two aspirins and gulped down the glass of water.

I got ready for the day. Dressed in khaki cargo skinnies and a simple white tank top, paired with a brown leather fanny pack and boots. I put on a floral printed bomber to cover up until we got to Madagascar. It was still cold here. I grabbed up all my materials and packed them carefully, making sure that I had my electronics and such. It was going to be a grueling 11 hours on this plane ride. And that’s without stopping. I hoped maybe Sully would let me fly for a while. Just to give myself something to do. He had taught me how a few jobs back and I soaked up every bit of knowledge he’d ever given me like a sponge. With a sigh I left my room, bags in hand. Just as I did, Sam had come from his little hidey hole. I smirked at the expression on his face when he noticed me. It was as if he were trying not to laugh but he was also still slightly ticked off— all while trying to be immensely cool about it. Maybe a little jumpy even. I strutted towards his direction and joined him as he began to navigate the hallways to the lobby. “Good morning.” He mumbled and I grinned at him.

“Good morning!” I sang teasingly. He snorted.

“Alright, I’ll give it to you- ya got me.” He chuckled deeply. There was something different about him. He didn’t seem as focused as usual. Before I could read anymore from him, he pulled out two cigarettes; one he put behind his ear and the other between his lips unlit. “So I’m going to assume you had a…  _ pleasurable _ night?” He asked. I sighed. If I was being honest…

“Meh. I mean it was alright. I’ve had better.” I told him. His eyes widened as he cocked a bushy brow.

“She was  _ alright? _ ” He chuckled.

“Yeah. Just alright. Not to say she was shitty or anything but… She was very gentle where I was a little rougher.” I said throwing my bag over my shoulder as we descended a few stairs. I could hear him gulping audibly.

“Did you at least… y’know?” I knew what he was referring to.

“I mean yes but it took her a very long time to get me there. I made her cum in like 2 minutes which is great for my ego n’ all but… not really a lotta fun.” I explained with a grin as his cheeks began to turn red. I wouldn’t tell him he was blushing. It would hurt him more than I already had. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He just blew a raspberry and ran his hands through his hair. “We spent the rest of the night just talkin’.... I don’t remember what though. And apparently she patched me up last night.  _ She’s a nurse _ .” I sang.

“You banged a nurse?! Well look at you.” He chuckled and we high fived like a couple of frat boys. 

He held the door open for me at the bottom of the stairs and I passed by him, the scent of cigarettes, cologne, and left over liquor clouding him. I tried not to let it affect me but holy hell did he smell amazing to me. I looked up at him and smiled as I passed and he seemed to puff out his chest more than he normally would. Not that I minded. He had a fantastic chest. When we reached the lobby, I noticed Nathan and Sully at the front desk turning in their keys. We joined them and did the same before calling a cab to take us to the docks where Sully’s plane was parked. I groaned as I looked inside the metal hunk of junk, not really feeling up to sitting in a metal seat for 11 hours. I had ass but not  _ that _ much. I watched as the men loaded up the plane and Sam poked his head out of the side door holding up a deck of cards, shaking them suggestively at me. “Whaddya say, sister? You down for a few rounds?” He asked me as I followed Nathan to hop on the plane. I climbed the little step ladder inside, my face dangerously close to his as I snatched the pack from him.

“You’re on pal. I’m low on cigarettes and I’m ready to hustle you for everything you’ve got.” I said.

“That’ll be easy. He ain’t got much.” Sully said as he did a once over on his plane. Nathan chuckled and I covered my mouth with my hands.

“Oooo….” I grinned.

“You might wanna get a little ice for that burn.” Nathan snickered. Sam rolled his eyes with a slight smile.

“Yup. Keep pickin’ on me today. Sunny did enough of that last night.” He said sitting down.

“What did she do?” Nathan asked, looking at me. My cheeks turned bright red. I guess it was story time…


	10. Chapter 10

**__ **

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

**Two days later...**

It was hot. Like ridiculously hot. I started to sweat the moment we left our hotel and hopped into the 4x4. But I felt happy. The scenery around us was absolutely stunning. There were blue skies with clouds so fluffy they looked like massive cotton balls; a clear sighting of a volcano before us. The African trees grew outward like natural shade keepers and exotic birds flew in flocks above us. The grass is tall and sporadic with patches of small purple flowers. The dirt was almost a close shade to red and I kicked up a bit of it as my eyes followed the tracks that had been created from what I could only assume had been Shoreline and their giant vehicles. I bent down to pick up a handful of the red dirt and watched it slip through my fingers in amusement before leaning against the side of the 4x4. I looked over at Nathan who was hanging over the steering wheel, tiredly watching Sam and Sully try to get the locator to work. “What are those satellites sayin’, Victor?” I heard Sam ask as he tossed a random rock around in his hands nervously. He’d been fidgety ever since we landed in Madagascar. I sighed and adjusted my black cat eye shaped sunglasses.

“Right now, not a goddamn thing. I lost the signal.” Sully mumbled as he raised the device and circled the area in front of the Jeep. Nathan groaned and rolled his eyes before hopping out of the car and reaching into his back pocket.

“You know what never loses signal?” He pulled out a map of the area and placed it on the hood like he’d just done a magic trick. “ _ Paper _ …” He said with sarcasm. I scoffed with my hands on my hips as we all approached him. 

“Smart ass.” I mumbled, punching his shoulder. Nathan pointed to where he had traced a few lines through the map.

“This should be the closer route to getting us to that volcano.” He said. “Might get a little bumpy though.” I rolled my eyes as I leaned on his wide back with both arms, peering over his shoulder.

“You didn’t bring me to an active volcano did you?” I pouted at him, giving my best puppy dog eyes and he grinned with a twitter of laughter.

“We should be alright. It’s been extinct for years.” Sully told me and Nathan fake gasped.

“Wait- you mean to tell me you actually did some research?” He quipped.

“Trust me, that was the first thing I looked up. And I can’t let you three be the know-it-alls  _ every _ time.” Sully replied with a chuckle. Sam nodded as he disposed of his rock and clapped his hands together.

“Alright. Let’s get this show on the road…” he said. Suddenly he stopped a moment to look at me and chuckled. “Is that a fanny pack?” He giggled.

“Yeah!” I grinned and he burst into laughter. “Don’t make fun of the fanny pack, bro.” I warned him as I headed for the car, leaving him behind to sniffle away his laughter as we all climbed into the 4x4. Nathan and Sully in the front, Sam and I occupying the backseat. With a wiggle of the stick shift and a turn of a key, we were on our way to explore the ruins of King’s Bay. 

“So what are we supposed to be looking for?” Sully asked.

“Well the map shows all sorts of structures around the volcano. Some abandoned outposts, a handful of watchtowers…” Nathan answered.

“Watchtowers?” I questioned. Sam threw an arm around the back seat, stretching out enough that it went behind even me. He leaned into the corner of his seat to look at me as he dropped me some knowledge.

“Avery was one of the most wanted pirates in the world. If he was hiding something out here, then it makes sense that he’d need lookouts.” He said, simply. He almost sounded like a scholar the way he talked about Henry Avery. One moment he was this fratty “do somethin’ crazy” guy and other times he’d be more quiet and studious. The duality of this man was enough to give me whiplash. 

“One of those towers is  _ right _ on the volcano, too.” Nathan added. I scoffed, rubbing my fingers through my curls as the wind aired out my scalp.

“I know you said it wasn’t active but I’d still like to  _ not _ be right on top of a volcano.” I commented as we ran over a giant rock. The car jumped a few inches from the ground and came down hard, startling me. “ _ Shit _ …” I whispered to myself with a hand on my chest to calm my spiking heart rate. Sam just chuckled as he seemed to analyze me from head to toe.

“Live a little, Sunny. You’re only alive to see the world like this once.” He told me with a smirk.

“I guess…” I sighed. Nate wasn’t kidding around when we said things would get bumpy.

“So you think Avery’s treasure is there? At the watchtower on the volcano?” Sully asked.

“ _ Fingers crossed. _ ” Sam replied. I could sense his anxiety from where I sat. His fingers tapped on the back of my seat rhythmically to calm himself. I turned to face him a bit with a leg folded in the seat between us, resting against his thigh. I picked at my nails before tapping him on his knee. He looked at me as if he were snatched from his thoughts.

“We’ll find the treasure, Sam.” I told him with a bit of optimism making itself present in my voice. A soft smile played on his lips for a brief moment until Sully spoke.

“I see some ruins up ahead.” He said. Nathan stopped the vehicle, pulling on the hand brake before hopping out and running towards the ruin.

“I’ll be back in a sec.” he called.

“Bring me back something shiny, will ya?” Sully shouted back. A grin played on my lips a while as I listened to Sam and Sully talk, slipping into my own thoughts. I liked where I was. Being here on uncharted South African territory with these three amazing men; Learning so much as the days drew on. I was even exhilarated during fights. I had never felt so alive. Since Nathan quit the life, I’d missed it. I tuned back in to their conversation of how the business had moved on to the internet more these days. I had almost forgotten that Sam hadn’t been around for all of these changes in technology. “I prefer doing my business face-to-face. It’s hard to do in a chat group when your talkin’ to some guy with the name  _ ‘AntiquityMaster37’ _ .” Sully chuckled and my eyes grew.

“You’re kiddin’...” I wheezed.

“I wish I were, Sunny. I wish I were.” He said lighting a cigar.

“What a dweeb.” I commented as I watched Nathan return to the car.

“Well?” Sam asked his brother.

“Nothin’ yet. Let’s keep going.” Nathan replied and he gassed up the vehicle.

We continued to drive around for a while through dried up valleys, Nathan driving us over every single bump available, sometimes hitting trees and rocks in the process.

“Ayo, there ain’t no auto club out here, little brother!” Sam shouted at him above the engine. He just couldn’t control himself this trip. Nothing but terrible dad jokes, puns, and a captain obvious complex; also the worst backseat driver a car could ever hope for. I seemed to be the only one laughing for a time. That was until Nathan let me drive. God, Sam just would not shut up. He talked more shit about me than anyone else that drove that day. “You’re supposed to rev it up,  _ then _ floor it sweetheart!” He told me, tapping me on the shoulder as I drove up a muddy hill. My patience was running thinner and thinner as he continued to spew off at the mouth. I looked at Sully and raised an eyebrow. All he could do was laugh at me as I stopped the 4x4 and turned around in my seat to face Sam.

“Do  _ you _ wanna drive, Sam? Cuz you’re doing an awful lotta backseat drivin’ right now, homie-”

“Actually I  _ would _ prefer to drive.” He said interrupting me smugly.

“Don’t fuckin’ test me, Drake, I swear to god I’ll throw you out the 4x4-” I snapped. This heat was clearly getting to me.

“I’d like to see you try, sister!” He said, furrowing his brows at me, leaning in with a rather serious expression. I’d take that challenge and he knew damn well I would. I opened my mouth to rebuttal when Nathan suddenly interrupted our brief heated argument with a wave of his hands and a yell.

“ _ Hey!  _ Hey now! Stop arguing like a couple of children. We don’t have time for this. Sam, stop picking on Sunny- and Sunny, hop on back. I’m the only one driving from now on.” He said, mediating the situation. I sucked my teeth and rolled my eyes with a groan, slouching and throwing my head back. Sully laughed and patted my knee. I snarled a bit as I pushed the car door open and slammed it closed as Nathan just hopped over into the driver’s seat. I lit myself a cigarette as I walked to get in the backseat.

“Asshole.” I mumbled to Sam as I slid into my seat, my arms folded. When Sam smirked I had realized it was his plan all along. For me to be stuck in the backseat with him again.

“For the record, you wouldn’t stand a chance against Sunny.” Sully commented, throwing a wink my way. I smirked, taking a drag of my cigarette and Sam just scoffed and turned his head. He was getting antsy. We’d been out driving for a while and found nothing but a bunch of abandoned towers just as Nathan had said. It was a bit disheartening but Sam was turning into a little shit the longer we went without finding something or at least without running into Shoreline. Suddenly we found ourselves at the end of an old bridge. It didn’t look stable in the slightest.

“That bridge there is what you would call ‘rickety’.” Sam commented. I placed a hand on Nate’s shoulder and squeezed it nervously.

“We’re not gonna…” I looked at him with a gulp and he shrugged.

“We might have to…” he winced. I groaned.

“Nothin’ is ever safe with you, is it?” I mumbled.

“If you’re lookin’ for safe, you might be in the wrong line of work, sweetheart.” Sam chimes in as we all braced ourselves to cross this bridge. “Look, just drive slow- keep it in the center…” he said, coaching Nathan unnecessarily as he drove. My heart rate was climbing as we reached the middle of the bridge.

“Sunny was right, there’s  _ a lot _ of backseat driving going o- OH SHIT!” He exclaimed as the bridge shifted down a hair. I screamed, grabbing on tightly to Sam’s arm and shutting my eyes. But the car kept moving and we made it across the bridge unharmed. Even afterward, I didn’t move and Sam just smiled to himself.

“Jesus, kid…” Sully mumbled as we continued uphill. 

Every now and then, Nathan would drive us off of a tall rock and we’d fall to the ground roughly but we lived.

“Victor, just curious but what were you arguing with the rental guy about?” Sam asked.

“Well, your brother insisted on getting a 4x4 with a winch.” Sully said.

“So you sprung for the winch, but you couldn’t spring for suspension- I got it.” He nodded. Sam was kinda right. Suspension would’ve made the trip less bumpy. 

“You never know! It could rain, it could get muddy. We could use the extra equipment.” Nathan retorted in favor of the winch. He was also right. Sully snorted.

“I bet we go this whole job without using that goddamn winch.” He said.

“I’m willing to bet on that.” Nathan replied confidently as he began to drive on a ridiculously narrow path made of massive rocks. Luckily, I was on the inside of the path closed to the wall so I couldn’t look down and see how high up we were. The view was beautiful though.

“Just take it slow, kid…” Sully said as Nathan slowed down considerably, carefully turning the corners. That’s when we came upon a tower on a muddy hill.

“Lookit!” I pointed excitedly. It seemed to be in better shape than the first tower we found. Not nearly as destroyed or eroded. Nathan stopped the 4x4 at the bottom of the hill and hopped out.

“I’ll come with.” Sam said, hopping out as well. Then he paused and turned to me. “Sunny, ya comin’ or not?” He asked as he began to climb the stairs. I was honestly surprised. I had planned on hanging back, thinking that maybe he wouldn’t want me to get in the way.

“Okay…” I said giving Sully a look.

“I’ll keep the car warm for ya.” Sully jokes.

“I’m sure it’s warm enough.” I chuckled as I hopped out of the car, stretching my limbs before climbing the stairs as well.

“Structures in pretty good shape for somethin’ several hundred years old.” Sam commented as he rounded the base of the tower. I followed the brothers into the tower where a sigil of a dragon was implanted into the middle of the floor. “That’s Christopher Condent’s sigil. Captain of the Fiery Dragon, operated outta Madagascar during Avery’s time...” He began vomiting information and I leaned against a wall with an intrigued smile as the brothers looked around. This was all truly amazing. These people were standing… right here. I kept my distance not wanting to accidentally touch something that shouldn’t be and watch the boys do their thing. “So Avery was recruiting captains...for what? To be his lookouts? Doesn’t make any sense...” Sam asked as I watched his brother scribble something down in his journal.

“I know… it doesn’t.” he replied.

“Maybe each captain was responsible for a tower and fronted the men for it.” I chimed in. I wanted to help. I wanted to learn. I’d listened to Sam enough to know a thing or two by now. Sam nodded as he raised an inquisitive brow.

“In that case, this definitely isn’t our last stop on the tour…” he said as we watched Nathan begin to climb the tower. I could feel his eyes on me as I looked up at my best friend as he did his thing. I wondered what he was thinking about. I turned my head just as he looked away out into the view. “So I never did thank you for this… Coming out with us, I mean.” He said, rubbing a bit of sweat off the back of his neck.

“Of course. Nathan needed my help so I gave it.” I replied simply, trying my best not to get flustered.

“I know… I just wanted to say thanks.” He smiled. And I looked back up to Nathan to avoid his gaze. There was a certain softness behind his eyes when he looked at me lately. Or a vulnerability… Like he couldn’t help being himself in every way around me. But I also sensed a bit of guilt. I couldn’t figure out what about and for a moment it bothered me. Until I heard him groan a bit. He had grabbed the bridge of his nose and pinched it gently.

“Migraine?” I asked and he nodded.

“Forgot to take my breakfast aspirin.” He joked. I smirked, shaking my head as I reached into my fanny pack. I pulled out a small BC packet and an energy bar, holding it out to him. His brows shot up as he took them and I grinned smugly.

“Fanny Pack.” I said simply. He smirked as we watched Nathan climb down and his boots landed on the platform with a loud thud. “Anything?”

“Not this time. Let’s go find the next tower.” Nathan said.

Sully had lost his bet already for we used the winch for the first time. Nate wrapped it around a tree and it pulled the 4x4 up a slick hill with ease. When we were safely at the top, Nathan gave him a smug grin as he detached it from the tree. “See, Sully?  _ Winch. _ ” He bragged.

“Okay, okay. It was a good idea.” Sully caved. We pulled off onto another path that led us to yet another spectacular view of the volcano. Sam and I both stood simultaneously to admire the view.

“Holy shit…” I murmured with a smile. I’d never seen anything like it.

“Just imagine… you come here, a well-to-do pirate, far away from your oppressive government-” Sam started to paint a picture for me but Sully gave a hearty interrupting laugh.

“Oh poor oppressed pirates. All they wanted to do was murder and pillage in peace.” He chuckled. Sam got lightly defensive.

“No, no- they just wanted to live as free men.” Sam explained as we sat back down.

“Well if you’re gonna pick a place to run away from society, you could do a lot worse than here…” Nathan commented. I groaned in boredom. We’d been here in the heat for hours and hadn’t found a thing.

“All I know is, it’s takin’ forever and a month of Sundays to get to this volcano.” I grumble and Sully agrees vocally.

“ _ Patience _ , guys, patience.” Sam said placing a hand on my knee, causing me to tense up a little as he continued to talk. “Do you guys even know how those pirates got here? They had to start in England, sail to Brazil, then cut back across the Atlantic to South Africa…”

“Sam-” Sully tried to interject but the man continued, so passionately speaking of the pirates’ journey. It was honestly adorable.

“ _ AND _ they figured all that out with paper, charts, and by looking. At.  _ The stars _ ...” Sam finished.

“It’s amazing…” I had to agree.

“Kid, you’re explaining sailing to a former squid.” He replied.

“The point is: we’ve got it pretty easy.” Sam digressed.

“Yeah…. well it’s still taking a long time.” Sully mumbled grumpily. After a few more minutes of driving, an abandoned outpost came into view below us. Sam stood to admire the structure when a loud bang was heard in the distance. “Oh shit! Stop, stop!” Sully exclaimed, shaking Nathan. As we came to a halt, a cloud of smoke appeared from the bottom of the outpost. That woke me up for sure.

“I see em.” Nathan said, pulling out his binoculars to get a closer look. Sam and I leaned into the front seats.

“What do we got?” Sam asked in a low voice.

“Military types pokin’ around.” Nathan mumbled.

“Shoreline?” I asked.

“Yep.” He responded briefly, still scoping the area.

“Fuck…” I cursed under my breath.

“Looks like they found an old colony outpost.” Nathan informed us as he handed the binoculars to Sully, he proceeded to look through them himself.

“But it’s the wrong one, right?” He asked as Nathan slouched onto the steering wheel.

“That’s the good news…” he replied, tiredly.

“Which means there’s also bad news.” I groaned in sarcasm, leaning back in my seat and readying my deserter, prepping myself for a shootout and possibly a fight.

“Only route to the volcano is straight through them…” Nathan said.

“Oh bless…” I rolled my eyes.

“Well shit…. we  _ do _ have the drop on em.” Sully commented. Nathan nodded his head, making a face. I watched his expression in the rear view mirror like the clockwork was going in his head.

“What’s the play here, Nathan?” Sam asked. His brother shrugged as if there were no other options than the one he’d come up with.

“Just follow my lead.” He said simply, hopping out of the 4x4 and the rest of us followed.

“This should be good…” I said as we crept our way to the massive boulders to hide in the tall grass.

**  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**__ **

**_Sam’s POV_ **

A soldier’s jaw came in contact with my knee as I brought it up to strike and he fell on his back. Quickly, I joined Sunny in cover before firing off at the soldiers guarding the outpost opposite of us. We were facing each other when we took cover again. I could see her dilated pupils shaking as we fought them off. “I’m runnin’ out! We need to move towards that outpost and steal us somethin’ good!” She shouted to me as bullets whizzed above us.

“I saw a Shoreline crate just behind those ruins! If you can get there, I’ll cover you!” I shouted back, standing up a moment to shoot back the soldiers. She nodded as we heard a grenade go off nearby, knocking us back into the barrier a bit. “Go now!” I shouted, standing up to fire off again as Sunny ran off. I noticed a red gas tank just posted up in a corner. ‘ _ If I can aim just right… _ ’ I thought with a smirk as I pulled the trigger. The next thing I knew, a handful of men were flying through the air, some of them on fire from the massive explosion. Just then, more of Nadine’s men arrived and I moved to a new cover position. I had run into Victor and Nathan, taking cover on either side behind a large boulder. I closed in and pressed my back against it, cocking my gun to make sure it hadn’t jammed.

“Where’s Sunny?!” Nathan yelled as a barrage of bullets flew by his side and he hopped out to fire a few bullets of his own, taking two or three lives as he did and returning to cover. Just as my little brother had talked her up, the most attractive sight came powering towards us in the clearing. Sunny appeared with the stock of a gargantuan RPG over her shoulder with a warhead on lock, ready to fire and taking aim at the bottom of the fort.

“COME ON, YOU SONSABITCHES!” She shouted like a war cry as she squeezed the trigger and the warhead flew off, creating a magnificent explosion as it collided with the earth. Another handful of mercenaries had gone down and she still had two more warheads hanging on her hip left to use. 

“ _ ALRIGHT, SUNNY!!! _ ” I heard my brother cheer with an excited grin across his face. It was the first time this trip I had seen him genuinely smile.

“Take ‘em out, kid!” Victor shouted. I was absolutely speechless. She ducked behind a Shoreline truck briefly to put in another warhead and appeared again with an aggressive expression on her face, boldly going past our cover and shooting off towards a group on our left and then one on our right. When she was done with that, she tossed the useless stock to the ground, pulling out two pistols and going full Terminator on the remaining mercenaries with Nathan’s assistance from behind the boulder. Soon the fort was cleared and I watched as Sunny dropped to her knees, her head thrown back to catch her breath as she bathed in the light of the hot sun. She was an absolute  _ vision _ . Luckily, I was running on too much adrenaline to get hard from what I had just witnessed because I was most certainly aroused. We came out from behind the boulder carefully, scanning the area to make sure there were no more men around. When we deemed the coast clear, we approached Sunny with multiple reactions. “Christ, kid!” Victor exclaimed, putting a hand on her shoulder. Nathan dropped to his knees and brought her in for a tight hug.

“I knew we were best friends for a reason!  _ THAT WAS INSANE!! _ ” He shouted with an amused laugh. Sunny just grinned as she laid in his arms.

“It was pretty damn cool, right?” She chuckled and I just stood there. I didn’t know what to say.

“Holy shit…” I finally managed to say, still not quite sure if it was all I could say. “ _ Damn, girl. _ ” I chuckled, still in shock and running my fingers through my damp hair.

“Y’know, it was oddly  _ very _ satisfying. Ten outta ten- I’m definitely doin’ it again.” She said, grinning like a maniac and practically shaking with adrenaline. I laughed at how jacked up she was as I offered a hand to help her up. We grabbed each other’s forearms and I pulled her up with ease. She stood, looking up at me, her head barely reaching my chest. I could’ve kissed her right then and there had Nathan not called for me.

“Yeah?” I answered back lazily, lost in Sunny’s presence. She smiled at me, staring at me like I was the only person left in the world. 

“This is ridiculous… Rafe and Nadine must have guys everywhere.” Victor mumbled.

“They could just blindly stumble onto the treasure…” Sunny said, still staring in my eyes. Could she have felt it, too? That strange feeling in the chest when we look at each other.

“Mmhmm…” I mumbled, just enamored by her every being.

“SAM!” I heard my brother shout again and I got irritated.

“ _ WHAT, NATE?! _ ” I shouted in annoyance, looking at him as he stood at the top of the half destroyed tower.

“There’s another bridge to take up ahead! It’ll put us back on the path!” He shouted and I groaned. It was unnecessary information; Stuff he could’ve told me once he was already grounded. But that wouldn’t be my little brother if it were otherwise.

“O-okay….” I said, waving him off as he descended down the zipline hanging by his grappling hook. Sunny looked down a moment before heading towards the fort to look for more ammunition and artillery; my eyes followed her every step. For just a second she looked back at me, and for that second I felt like I mattered. She looked obnoxiously attractive with the cigarette hanging loosely between her plump lips and the heavy machinery in her hands, the weight of the guns making the muscles in her arms more present. I watched as she carried weapons to the truck from the crates when Victor caught the look on my face pining after her. He made the face of a disapproving father as I lit up a cigarette and assisted Sunny, making myself useful. I could see him talking to Nate as soon as he hit the ground and they both looked my way. ‘ _ Oh great… _ ’ I thought, rolling my eyes. I wasn’t going to hear the end of it. It was only a matter of time before I’d receive “the Talk”.

After we loaded up the back of the 4x4 and strapped in the guns, we were off again to cross yet  _ another _ rickety bridge; and this one didn’t seem as sturdy as the last. My little brother took his time driving across slowly but to no avail, the bridge cracked beneath the 4x4 and my heartbeat kicked hard when we fell a couple feet to the ground. Sunny screamed, grabbing onto me as we fell and the car landed with a loud thud and a few creaks. “Jesus! These pirates really need to work on their infrastructure!” Victor exclaimed.

“So now what?” Sunny managed to get out as she clutched her chest. The poor girl was going through a few things on this job and I felt bad. I let my hand run over her shoulder comfortingly for a moment as we watched Nathan hop out of the car to grab the winch. He wrapped it around the base of the two pillars still holding the bridge and latched it in place.

“Winch.” Nathan said simply as he headed back to the car. I cocked a brow in confusion before my brother put the car in reverse and we began to pull the pillars until they broke, dropping the other half of the bridge enough to turn it into a ramp. The winch zipped itself back to the car and my brother smirked at us. Sunny grinned and nodded her head. We pushed up the ramp and was put back on the path. After a few minutes of driving, Nathan spoke up. “Sully, just how well do you know Nadine?”

“Why?” Victor replied, not really knowing where he was going with his question.

“Well I was thinkin’ maybe you could contact her, convince her to call off her goons?” My brother suggested and the old man burst into laughter.

“Yeah right.” He said.

“What if we promised her a bigger cut than Rafe?” Nathan added.

“Nope. That’s not how she operates. Nadine’s more of a money-upfront kinda mercenary.” He told him.

“And Rafe’s got  _ that _ in the bag…” Sunny grumbled, the face she made clearly exposing that she’d been thinking about her brief and uncomfortable time with him. I felt kinda bad that she had to go through that. As we pulled into another clearing, I stood up, noticing the mass of trucks zooming up the pathway.

“Lookit. It’s Shoreline.” I told them, pointing out the vehicles in the cliffs.

“Why are they so deep out here?” Sunny commented.

“And why are they getting awful close to that volcano?” Victor added. He took the words right out of my mouth. I began to panic. The end was in sight and Rafe was closer to it than we were at the moment. 

“What if they’ve already got the treasure…” I asked worriedly. 

“I don’t know. They seem lost. They’re scouring every inch of this place.” Nathan said. Sunny grabbed my hand as I sat down and squeezed it reassuringly.

“If they’d found the treasure already, they wouldn’t be so scattered like this. We’re gonna find it, okay?” She told me. She was too precious for this world. I took a deep sigh and nodded, running my fingers through my hair as the wind blew by.

“You think that old building up ahead is worth checkin’ out?” Victor asked. We all turned our heads to where he pointed.

“Couldn’t hurt.” Nathan said and headed for the hill. When we pulled up, there were a few Shoreliners hanging around the area. Five minutes tops, the four of us manage to stealth attack each man so we wouldn’t waste ammunition, clearing the site in no time. We came across a laptop next to a detonator sitting on top of the crates and Sunny managed to trace the wires to the building in front of us.

“They were gonna blow up that door. Natey…… can I do it… please?” She asked him cutely. He just chuckled.

“Go for it.” He grinned. Before the words could even leave his mouth, she was already pushing down on the handle, causing a massive dusty explosion before us. She made a silly but satisfied face and hopped off the platform to run into the doorway before the smoke had even cleared.

“Hey! Be careful runnin’ in there like that!” I shouted to her, now obviously concerned for her well being. I began to follow her and Victor when my brother put a strong hand on my chest to stop me. I looked down at his hand then back to him. He bore a rather serious expression. “What’s on your mind, little brother?” I sighed.

“I know we’ve all been pretty busy, but I’m not blind, Sam.” He told me. ‘ _ Here we go… _ ’ I thought, rolling my eyes.

“What are we talkin’ about here?”

“I’m talking about Sunny. That’s my best friend and she’s been through a lot in her life. I just wanna make sure that you’re not going to hurt her…” he said.

“Why would I hurt her?”

“The way you look at women nowadays, it’s bound to happen.”

“Ouch, Nathan… that one hurt.” I sighed and put my hands on my hips. I would never intentionally try to hurt her. I didn’t want that. But he was right. I was bound to eventually. But not right now. Right now, I only wanted her… “I’ll behave. And I will keep her safe, Nate. I will.” I promised him. He looked at me a moment before sighing.

“I’m trusting you, Sam.” He said and with that we headed towards the building. “I thought you didn’t like her anyway.”

I smirked, remembering that barely a week ago I didn’t trust her as far as I could throw her but things changed…

“I’m grown enough to admit when I’m wrong.” I said. “You were right to tell me I could trust her. Now that I’ve seen her in action.”

“See! She’s got your back.  _ Trust _ .” He stressed.

“I guess that's my word of the day, huh?” I chuckled. Sunny and Victor exited the building as we approached. “Anything?” I ask.

“Nothin’. It was dynamite wasted.” Sunny pouted before heading off to the 4x4. We all piled in and began to follow the path again. 

A few moments of silence had gone by and I could tell everyone was bored so I thought maybe I’d lighten the mood. “So a pirate walks into a bar…”

“Oh god. Here we go…” Victor groaned. Nathan rested his head in his hand as he drove. Sunny raised a brow at me with a small smile, clearly wanting to see where this was going.

“And he’s got this steering wheel stickin’ outta his crotch…” I continued. Sunny was already stifling a laugh.

“ _ Alright… _ ” Victor said, feeding into it.

“So the bartender goes, ‘Hey man, what’s with the wheel?’ And the pirate says to him, ‘ _ Argh, it’s drivin’ me nuts! _ ’” Ba doom tsss! I looked over at Sunny whose head was thrown back, cackling. The two men in the front groaned.

“Don’t make me leave you out here.” Victor told me. I thought it was funny. So did Sunny. As long as she thought I was funny, that was all that mattered to me.

“Check it out, guys.” Nathan said as we turned off of a cliff and up a small hill. A tall tower stood before us. Bigger than the ones we’d already seen. We all got out and went to the platform. We were really high up. 

“Holy shit, you could probably see all of King’s Bay from up here!” I exclaimed, taking in the view. Sunny pulled up beside me, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked out.

“And look. There’s the city.” Victor said pointing in another direction.

“A city?! Did I hear the word ‘shopping’?” Sunny piped up. I shook my head.

“Hey Sunny? Wanna climb that with me?” Nathan asked as he examined the sturdiness of the tower. “It’s not a mountain but…”

“Let’s do this.” She said leaving my side to start climbing this tower rather quickly. I could hear her squeal from the heights up above me when they reached the top. “There’s another tower just up the hill, boys!” She shouted to us below. I looked in the direction she pointed and she was right. 

“Any sign of Shoreline?” Victor asks.

“Not that I can see! Hey Sam, if I jump right now would you catch me?” She asked goofily and my eyes widened.

“I’d try but I don’t know how well that’s gonna go from that high up!” I chuckled. She wouldn’t do it. As much as she climbed, heights we’re not her thing and I could already tell from the first time she needed to jump to me. But she seemed as if she was trying to get used to it now. I smiled as I lit myself a cigarette and took a moment to look out into the world, admiring nature at it’s finest as the pair climbed down from the tower. Sunny landed in front of me with an adorable little jump and shook the nerves with her hands.

“Fuck I need a cigarette after that.” She said, pulling out her packet stored in her fanny pack and lit one up, exhaling some smoke with a shiver and turning to look at the view along with me. “Look at that… it’s beautiful…” she leaned on the railing next to me and I smirked as I admired her for a moment.

“I know right. I keep thinkin’ I’m gonna wake up in solitary; like it was all a dream or something…” I said. She frowned. “No guilt trip or anything. It’s just amazing.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Sam. It wasn’t fair.” She said, kicking up dust with her boots and picking at her nails. She shook her head and looked out at the river valley, adjusting her sunglasses.

“No it wasn’t. But somebody had to take the fall.” I said jokingly, referring to the fall I’d taken when I was shot. She wasn’t laughing.

“It just sucks that it had to be you…” She said solemnly.

“Yeah… But I’m here now. And that’s all that matters.” I said positively. “Let’s go find this thing, eh?” I tapped her on the shoulder and threw my cigarette off the cliff. She put out hers and followed me to the 4x4. Nathan and Victor soon followed and hopped in as well.

“How are you doin’ with all this, Sully?” Sunny asked.

“Hell, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying myself.” He replied with a chuckle.

“Good! I’m glad to be here with all of you. Seriously. God knows what I’d be doin’ right now if Natey hadn’t called.” She said leaning back in her seat as my brother drove. I could see him smiling in the rear view as we drove on a path cut through giant rocks. That’s when we arrived at another abandoned outpost. Nathan slowed his driving to make sure there weren’t any mercenaries around and I smiled for a change.

“Well it would appear that we’re the first ones here.” I grinned.

“I say we check the place out and keep it pushin’.” Sunny said, taking the words right out of my mouth as we drove through the outpost. That’s when we noticed a drawbridge. Just our luck, of course we had to go lower it ourselves. And by “ourselves”, I mean Nathan. Victor, Sunny, and I just stood by the 4x4 enjoying a smoke. The drawbridge was getting lower and lower when the three of us heard the sound of vehicles approaching. All of us threw our cigarettes away and waved our arms about.

“Nate, stop! It’s Shoreline!” I shouted to him as I grabbed Sunny’s hand and jumped across the moat with her, dragging her to take cover.

“Shit! The guns!” She swore in a panicky tone as we hid at the bottom of a stairway. “How are we supposed to get outta this?” She asked as what seemed like a fleet of mercenaries began taking posts across the site. Honestly, this time, I didn’t have an answer….


	12. Chapter 12

**__ **

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

****

“They’re out here somewhere! Spread out, keep watch!” I heard a mercenary shout to his team as they discovered our 4x4. I had to think fast. 

“First thing’s first, we gotta take out that sniper…. and the other sniper...” Nathan told us as we bunched together on the stairway. He pointed to the man with the long and slim firearm pacing back and forth on the top floor of a ruin. I racked my brain trying to think of what to do. That’s when I remembered something. I pat myself down trying to remember where I put it. Then I pulled it from my fanny pack.

“I have a grenade…” I said, carefully holding the round explosive in front of us all.

“You’ve had a grenade in your  _ fanny pack?! _ ” Sam whisper-shouted. “ _ What if that thing had gone off while we were driving?! _ ”

“When  _ you _ have an idea, you can speak, Sam.” I snapped. He seemed as if he were going to say something in response but he shut himself up.

“I noticed a few of those flammable barrels up there too.” Sully said. I sighed.

“Great! Then I might have a plan….” I began as we huddled together. “Nathan, you grab that left end, take out that guard posted there. When I throw the grenade on the right, Sam, I need you to headshot that RPG guy at the top of the tower and blow up that barrel in the middle- Sully, cover me while I get to the car.” I said, fiddling with the grenade in my hand like a hot potato. I could feel Sam’s gaze as I spoke, staring at me like I was the fifth wonder of the world. I noticed a small smile creep across his face as I mentioned him and he readied his pistol. “If you need to fight, mash ‘em up real good. Godspeed gentlemen.” I smirked. Nathan patted my cheek with a coarse hand and grinned.

“I’m so proud of you.” He told me, wiping away a fake tear before heading to the left side of the platform with stealth. Sam just flexed his lip and nodded.

“You got a lotta balls, Sunny. See you on the other side.” He spoke with a wink and followed his brother. I looked at Sully as he stroked his mustache and cocked his gun.

“This is a helluva plan, kid. Are you sure it’s what you wanna do? You could get yourself hurt.” He said cautiously.

“I’ll be fine, Sully-” I started to leave but he grabbed me by the arm to stop me. The look on his face was that of a concerned father.

“Sunny, I know you wanna help Sam but… you don’t have to throw yourself in danger to make that happen…” he told me carefully.

“Trust me, Sully.” was all I could say, staring into his aged blue eyes. He looked at me a moment and gave a defeated sigh with a nod. “Don’t miss.” I smirked as I crossed the floor to hide behind a pillar for a better look at the field. Just as I pressed my back against the dirty stone, a mercenary walked right by me with a clear view of Sully. In panic, my reflexes kicked in and I pulled my knife from its holder to stab him between his ribs, my hand covering his mouth to reduce noise as I set his body down easy. I looked at Sully and took a deep breath. It was a close one. I tried to steady my breathing as I looked at the amount of guards on top of the ruin. Two up top, three near the truck. ‘ _ This is so stupid, _ ’ I thought. ‘ _ But I got this, right….? _ ’ “Yeah… I got this!” I said to myself with a nod. I snuck over to the ruin, hiding myself beneath a window. I pulled the pin before tossing the grenade as high as I could onto the top of the ruin before pulling my knife again. As the explosive sounded, I hopped into the window and took down a mercenary, shots firing in the distance. I heard a shot fly by my head, taking down one man as I stabbed another. I found myself in a tussle with the last one, but luckily I was able to steal his gun from his holster before taking him down and putting two bullets in his back. I looked back at Sully as he appeared from the stairway and took cover behind the Shoreline truck in front of me. He gave a quick nod in the direction on the 4x4 and I quickly ran to pull out a FAL as more mercenaries came into view. I could see Nate and Sam running towards the car, ducking to avoid bullets as they did. Once all of us had grabbed a gun, it was easy for us to take out the rest of the crew. 

****

When the last man was gunned down, I went with Nathan to assist in pulling down the drawbridge. We needed to leave before more of Nadine’s army had caught up with us. “That was… much cleaner than I expected…” Sully commented to me as we descended the stairway, pulling on his shirt to fan himself.

“Yeah it was- and I thank you- but we need to skedaddle.” Sam added as he tossed his heavy artillery in the trunk of the car, immediately hopping into the backseat.

“Yes…” I agreed and we all piled into the vehicle and crossed the bridge.

****

After a while, we began driving across the cliffs once again, before another tower came in sight. This one gave me an odd feeling. I couldn’t shake it but it made me nervous. ‘ _ Be extra careful, bitch… _ ’ my brain told me as we approached yet another muddy hill. “I’ll get the winch.” I groaned as I began to hop out of the 4x4 but Nathan stopped me.

“I got it, Sunny.” He said, placing a hand on mine. “Take a break. You look tired.” I sighed. He was right. I was sweating in places I didn’t even know I could sweat, my arms hurt, my head was beginning to hurt- I had run out of water about an hour ago so I couldn’t take a BC, I was starving and feeling fatigued from an excessive amount of adrenaline rushes.

“Yeah, just take a beat…” Sam told me with a nod. He narrowed his eyes at me to make sure I knew he meant it. I sighed and leaned back into my seat.

“Fine…” I huffed. And at that moment, he did something so simple that made my heart melt. He placed a hand on the back of my neck caringly. His rough thumb stroked the back of my neck as if to comfort me and my breath hitches at the sudden contact. I turned my head to lean on the car door and cover my face; clearly I had turned red. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and cleared my throat as I watched Nathan wrap the winch around a tree before sliding back down the hill. There was a large rock wedged into the mud that would keep us anchored as we rode uphill. As we started to move, I leaned my head back as his hand moved to my shoulder to massage it gently. When I looked over at him, he wasn’t even looking at me. He was just relaxed in his corner of the car, admiring the South African view. I was lost in admiring his profile when it happened. 

****

The car jolted a moment, all of us turning our attention to what was happening in front of us. The wire from the winch had dug its way underneath the rock that was keeping us steady and it began to slide, taking us with it. I straightened myself up as the car began to slide off of the hill and over a cliff. I screamed as the car hung by the winch thousands of feet above the ground as clusters of rocks fell around us. I yelled as I gripped onto the back of Nathan’s seat, my heart beating rapidly as tears spilled from my eyes. I looked below me, shaking when I saw how far the rocks continued to fall before crashing out of sight. “SUNNY! DON'T LOOK DOWN! LOOK AT ME, SWEETHEART! I’M RIGHT HERE!” I could hear Sam shouting and I looked over to him but with his eyes closed tightly and saying his Hail-Mary-Full-of-Graces, he wasn’t giving me any confidence at all. I looked forward to the sky and watched more rocks fall around us until one hit the front of the 4x4 hard, knocking Nathan back into his seat. My grip had loosened as the car dropped a bit, sending both Nathan and I flying out of the car. In that moment, I saw my whole life flashing before my eyes. There was no way I could grab anything. I was too far from the car. A yelp tore from my throat with a shiver as I was suspended in the air. Just as I thought that perhaps I had fallen too far, a long arm stretched out towards me, lengthy fingers wrapping around my forearm tightly. Then I felt something tug hard on my belt. When I looked up, Sam’s face stared down at me in shock as gripped onto the back of Sully’s seat. Looking down, Nathan had been hanging onto the back of my pants, just dangling about. I was shaking, my eyes wide, my breathing shallow as I watched Sam try his best to hold us. “NATHAN, I CAN’T HOLD YOU BOTH FOR VERY LONG- GET YOUR ASS UP HERE!” He called to him as the rocks ceased to settle. 

“HOLD ON, SUNNY!” I heard Sully yell above me and I tightened my grip on Sam’s thick forearm as my best friend proceeded to climb my body as best as he could until he was able to grab onto the car. He climbed the side of the car until he could pull himself into the driver’s seat again and with ease, Sam pulled me up into the car, stretching an arm across me as if to keep me in my seat. My body wouldn’t stop shaking as Nathan pulled the 4x4 up until the front wheels touched the edge of the cliffs and we were finally on solid ground. As soon as we were grounded, I jumped out of the car and had a full body breakdown. “Heh… that wasn’t so bad!” Nathan quipped, taking several deep breaths. I stared at him incredulously, hyperventilating as my nostrils flared. The nervous grin on his face disappeared when he noticed the crazy in my eyes and he opened the car door to approach me carefully. “Shit, Sunny-”

“Don’t ‘shit, Sunny’ me, Nathan. Shut up- just shut up!” I exclaimed as I became overwhelmed. He took another step forward and I backed away.

“Sunny….” he began but I shook my head and Sam hopped out of the car, grabbing me by the arm and putting a hand on Nate’s chest to stop him.

“Give her a minute, little brother…” he said quietly before dragging me aside; away from Nate, away from the car, away from the cliff. He placed a hand on my back and pulled me behind the tower out of sight. He rested his back on the wall and just let me pace as he placed a cigarette between his chapped lips and lit it, taking a small drag before holding it out for me. I stopped to look at him, my nails digging into my shaking palms. “Take it, Sunny.” He said to me insistently. When I didn’t move, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me close, placing it in my dirty fingers. “The nicotine will calm your nerves….” His voice was gentle. Just like that first night we talked… I stared into his honey colored eyes as a smile twitched onto his lips. I took a sharp inhale as I had forgotten to breathe for the moment. His sweet smile turned into a smirk as he guided my hand to my mouth, placing the cigarette between my lips. I took a long drag as he placed his hands on my hips firmly and pulled me dangerously close, exhaling the smoke with a crippling shiver as he brought his forehead to mine. A tear fell from my eyes when he pressed his warm lips to my temple. All my emotions came spilling out and he pulled me into a tight hug, his hand on the back of my neck. He rubbed small circles into my back, resting his chin on the top of my head as I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Let it out-” he mumbled and I sucked in a heap of air.

“We almost….  _ I almost- _ ”

“ _ I know, I know… _ ” he said as he placed a hand on my cheek. When I lifted the cigarette to my lips, I noticed the bruises on my forearm where Sam grabbed me and burst into tears again. “Shhh…. I gotcha, sweetheart… I do…” he said running his fingers through my curls. He furrowed his salt and pepper brows at me as he watched the emotions play out on my face.

“I don’t think I can do this, Sam-”

“No, no, no- don’t think about that, sweetheart. You’ve lived through  _ much _ worse than this- remember Scotland?” He said with a smile so sweet it could stop my heart. I peered up at him from my thick lashes and nodded, taking a drag of my cigarette. “You remember how much of a tough little lady you were when that floor crumbled under us? You were fallin’ then-”

“I was near handholds-”

“And this time you were near me.” He fired back, staring me deep in my eyes. I felt like I couldn’t move when he brought his forehead to mine again. “I wasn’t lying when I said I’d catch you… I’m always gonna catch you…” He told me, his breath dancing over my face as his lips brushed over mine ever so lightly. His calloused thumbs rubbed away the tears from beneath my eyes when he caressed my face. I was lost in a haze. Despite his dirty, bruised face, he was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. “I need you, Sunny Spurrs…” he spoke against my lips as the tension grew between us. I threw my cigarette on the ground as he pressed his body into mine, stroking my cheek. “My life is on the line and I am trusting you right now, Sunny. I’m trusting you, okay? I trust you-” He cut himself off in the heat of his words, crashing his lips into mine. It wasn’t anything steamy, but it was something  _ vulnerable _ . His hands seemed a little shaky themselves until I placed mine over them. His kiss was firm and needy; something idyllic and tender. His lips were warm and soft as they curled into a smile against me. The world seemed to disappear around me… When he broke the kiss I was damn near breathless. I searched his eyes for bullshit. I tended to do that with men, no matter who they were… And I came to the conclusion that he was either a damn good liar or that he was telling the truth… I couldn’t discern and it worried me. I pushed him away from me to gather my courage and thoughts, stretching my limbs and shaking my nerves.

“Guess we should go so I can save your life again, huh?” I managed to say. He gave a chuckle before locking a finger or two with mine. “Thank you… Now let’s go find this thing.” I said turning on my heels but he pulled me back to plant one more chaste kiss on me.

“Now we can go.” He smirked, rounding the tower to climb inside. I smiled to myself, following behind him with my hands in my pockets. As soon as I appeared, Nathan came over to embrace me.

“I’m so sorry, Sunny. I forget I’m the one who lives for close calls sometimes. Are you okay?” He asked me.

“Just had a little hitch in my giddy up. But I’ll be fine. Sorry I yelled at you.” I said hugging him tightly. “Womb to tomb…”

“Birth to Earth.” He grinned before climbing into the tower to explore and I followed right behind him.


	13. CHAPTER 13

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

We climbed the massive steps to the tower and I was absolutely in shock. I had only ever seen buildings this tall in New York. And the fact that it was this old made it all the more magical to me. I stood at its rocky, caved in base, shielding my eyes from the sun as I looked up at it. “ _ Fuck _ I hope I don’t have to climb that…” I said aloud. I didn’t notice I had until a trill of laughter exploded from Sam’s mouth behind me. He thought I was kidding but I was oh so serious about that. “I’m deadass, Sam. I’m not climbin’ that.” I smiled as I listened to Sam continue to laugh at my lack of trust in heights, shaking my head.

“Sam! Come gimme a hand with this.” Nathan called from a little shack with weak wooden doors. Sully and I approached them cautiously as they drove their masses into the doors until they broke open, revealing a dark hallway leading into a staircase. They both take a flashlight off their belts and shine them on the underground darkness. Sam looked back at me, suppressing a smile as I threw my head back. Sully chuckled and patted my back as he entered the dark hall.

“Let’s hope there’s no skeletons in there, sweetheart.” He said as another laugh spilled out. I stalked over to punch him in his arm, snatching the flashlight from his hands and powering down the stairs with the rest. “Ow!” He exclaimed, massaging the spot where he’d been hit and following close behind me.

I walked very carefully to make sure a step wouldn’t break beneath me and shrieked when Nathan fell before me suddenly. Sully put an arm out to stop us from falling too. There was a large chunk of stairs missing halfway through. “Shit- Nathan!” Sam shouted, worriedly.

“I’m good!” We heard him say and I sighed in relief. Sully and I shined a light down below us and it actually happened to be a decent little drop. The old man jumped first. Then Sam insisted on jumping next so that he could catch me. He stared up at me with a small smile as he stretched his arms out to me. I chuckled before letting myself fall into his arms. It wasn’t a big jump and I could’ve done it myself but I just couldn’t bring myself to take away his moment. He set me down as we walked into a dark and dirty room full of empty shelving. Sully and I hung back while the brothers scouted the room and we held a conversation amongst ourselves.

“So uh…. you and Sam, huh?” He asked me as he lit himself a cigar. My heart skipped and I turned to look at him with widened eyes. “Don’t look at me like that, Sunny. As old as they may be,  _ I do have eyes _ .” He spoke in a fatherly tone. Though my lips parted, words just couldn’t come out. “ _ All… _ I have to say is what I’m always tellin’ ya, kid.  _ Be careful. _ Sam’s been away a  _ long _ time and he’s not the same man I used to know. Things could get kinda hinky.”

“First of all,  _ there is no Sam and I _ … It was just a kiss… One we didn’t even talk about. We trust each other and so far he hasn’t given me a reason not to.” I told him, crossing my arms as a mosquito bite began to itch on my shoulder as I watched the boys move a shelf over to reveal a bricked over opening. Sully groaned and rubbed his temples as if he were conversing with a hard headed teenager.

“Sunny, I—” Sully began but he was cut off by the sight of the boys taking cover.

“HEADS UP!” Nathan shouted before tossing a grenade at the partially eroded brickwork; a loud bang sounded through the small quarters, sending Sully and I flying back into the wall a bit from the pressure.

“Are you alright?” I asked Sully with worry.

“I’m alright, kid.” He told me, coughing for the harsh smoke and dust that had kicked up in the room. I shot Nathan a raised brow and he shrugged.

“I told you ‘heads up’.” He said simply before entering yet another dark hallway. I made a face before reluctantly following him in. I look over at Sam and he’s quite literally shaking with excitement. This could possibly be it and we were so close. ‘ _ Thank god. I could use a real shower. _ ’ I thought as we approached a gate. As soon as Nathan cranked it even just a little bit open, Sam was racing to crawl under. He ran up ahead of us with an anxious smile. 

“ _ And he’s off… _ ” Sully commented as Sam started off into the next room.

“C’mon! Keep up, slow pokes!” He shouted before dipping behind a corner. Something was off to me. The deeper we got, the more I began to get those bad vibes.

“Sam, slow down!” I said, running after him like an idiot. It was now occurring to me that one day he might get me killed, him running off like this and me going after him. 

Almost like it was too good to be true, there was a stairwell spiraling into the floor with Avery’s sigil near it. Sam flew down the flight before we could even step in the room. I hesitated a moment before going down the steps as well. “Sam! Sam, wait up!” Nathan called out to his brother. 

“Guys! This way!” We heard Sam shout back, clearly miles ahead of us. We found ourselves going down a stoney, dark flight of stairs and up a mound of dirt that left very little space between it and the caved-in ceiling. We crouched through the opening and slid down a dirt slide. Just as we landed, Sam had dipped around another corner.

“ _ Jesus H _ …” I wheezed, running forward trying my best to keep up with him. 

“He seems excited.” Sully mentioned.

“He’s got a lot riding on this. Just let him be.” Nathan chortled. 

“How is it that he can be  _ this _ big and  _ that _ fast? That shit defies the laws of nature.” I grumbled to Nathan.

“He was always this fast. I mean always.” He replied as we caught up to him. His lanky limbs slipping through a crack in the wall, a bright light on the other side.

“C’mon!” Sam exclaimed excitedly. And with that, we were slipping into the bright sunlight room. I shook my head with a laugh as I entered the room behind them, looking up at the ceiling that seemed to loom over us greatly with a hole blown through it. Likely some old battle damage. I realized suddenly that we were inside that tower.

‘ _ And I didn’t have to climb a  _ **_damn_ ** _ thing… _ ’ I thought with a smile, resting my fists on my hips triumphantly as I watched Sam and Nathan gravitate towards what looked like a large stone map. Although I don’t think the boys got that right away. 

“ _ Magnificent _ …” Sully said, marveling at the insides of the largest watchtower on the volcano.

“I’m not seein’ any treasure though.” I sighed. That meant we were far from done with this expedition. 

“Nathan! Come check this out!” Sam called out as he looked at the elaborate stone carving. “There’s gotta be a way through here.” He said anxiously. 

“Alright, just hold your horses. Let’s take a look… There’s Avery, Thomas Tew…” Nathan’s voice trailed off when he couldn’t remember the other pirates. Obviously Sam picked it up.

“Adam Baldridge, that’s Joseph Farrell, and there’s Richard Want…” He said. Nathan grinned and tapped his brother on the shoulder.

“Pirate captains! I told you-” he gloated.

“Alright, alright. So maybe your little pirate pool theory wasn’t so crazy after all.” Sam smirked as he ran his eyes over the carvings before him. 

“So what do you think the trick here is… press a button? Pull somethin’ maybe…” Nathan asked as he examined the statue before him.

“Check the arms.” Sam said, pulling on the stoney likeness of the ancient penitent thief. Sully and I stood back to watch as the two men fondled poor St. Dismas with an amused grin. I coughed to interrupt their moment and they both turned to look at us.

“When you boys are done feeling up the poor man, why don’t you step back and actually look at this thing.” Sully chuckled.

“Can’t always be the brains…” I smirked as the boys took a few steps back to where we stood.

“The trapezoid is obviously the volcano.” Sully began. “The crown, that’s King’s Bay…. We got ourselves a map, gentlemen… and Sunny.” I snorted as I, too, marveled at the stoney depiction of the land. Sam gave a chuckle and stared in wonder.

“Victor, you’re a goddamn genius.” He said. Sully seemed to perk up and patted Nathan on the back.

“Ha! You hear that, Nate?!  _ Genius. _ ” Sully chuckled, pleased by the compliment. I watched the men work out where we needed to go next, using a coin that we’d found from a trial in Scotland when we found the map of King’s Bay. They narrowed it down to two towers but the image on the coin was kind of faded so it was hard to tell which one actually contained the treasure. As I listened, I walked around the room, admiring the handy work of these pirates. They were so ahead of their time. That’s when a familiar smell crossed my nostrils. Cigarette smoke. I looked back at Sam and he wasn’t smoking at the moment. I obviously wasn’t smoking…

“Sully,” I called out as I picked up the filter, still burning just a tad. The group turned to look at me a moment. “You didn’t happen to… start smoking cigarettes by any chance?” I asked cautiously.

“No….” Sully answered. And at the moment all of us knew exactly what was about to happen. I tossed the filter and ran to the group, pulling on my gun and my knife.

“ _ Ah shit. _ ” I grumbled, taking a good look at my surroundings.

“Looks like we’re not the first ones here…” he said in a low tone as they began to draw their weapons as well.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” I heard from above us. And just like that, the ceiling came crashing down with a massive explosion and a shootout ensued.

We cleared at least two waves of mercenaries before the fight stopped. I leaned against a slab of stone to catch my breath. My arm stinging a bit from a graze I’d gotten in battle, my ears ringing from the gunfire in close range. “Y’know… Even though she’s hot, this Nadine chick and her people are  _ seriously  _ gettin’ on my last nerves.” I grunted as I glanced at my bleeding arm. This fight was much harder than the last few. They had armored men this time; much harder to kill. I sighed as I slipped my weapons back into their holsters and picked the fallen bodies for ammo as the men went back to the map to figure out what to do. “Are you guys okay?!” I shouted from across the massive room as I straddled a dead man and took his bullets.

“All good here!” I heard from Nathan and Sully.

“Sam?!” I shouted looking around.

“Yeah! I’m over here.” He said and I saw him wandering towards the map again. I crossed the room as I watched him pat down a body that had fallen in front of the map.

“Whatcha doin’?” I asked as Nathan and Sully approached as well.

“Just confirming a suspicion…” he mumbled before pulling a piece of paper from the man’s vest pocket. “Shit. Take a look at this.” He held out the paper to Nathan and the group drew a bit closer together. It was a digital map with twelve locations circled along King’s Bay. ‘ _ Shit… _ ’ I thought to myself with a huff. “They’ve figured it all out already. The sigils, the locations, the works…” Sam said shaking his head and walking about as if he’d been defeated. I could feel the anger and disappointment radiating off of him as he gripped the sheet in his hands.

“So now what?” Sully asked.

“‘Now what’?  _ Now we’re screwed.  _ Okay, and you know why? Because there’s four of us and god knows how many of them.  _ And they have a head start _ —” Sam snapped and I rushed to him to put a hand on his shoulder.

“Okay, sure, but they don’t know  _ where _ to go.” I said gently. Expecting him to snap back, he turned to me and spoke in the same tone as I, only more disappointed.

“Neither do we, doll. We narrowed it to two locations and we still don’t know which is what.” He sighed, hanging his head. I dashed in front of him and picked his head up, staring into his saddened hazel eyes.

“So then, we’ll do the obvious. We split up. We’ve come too far to just…. quit.” I said simply. He lifted his head with a nod as if it was the best idea he’d ever heard. For a smart man, he could be really stupid sometimes as I’d come to realize.

“Alright then. That might just work.” He turned to face the other two men and held out the paper to them. “You three check out this tower and I’ll get the other.” He said pointing to the locations on the map. “It’s not too far from here. I can make it.” I could see that twinkle sparking up in his eyes again. But worry started to fill my chest at the mention of him going with no back up.

“No, no, no—” Nathan began.

“Like  _ hell _ you're goin’ by yourself!” I snapped and Sam looked at me incredulously. “I’m comin’ with you. Rafe and Nadine’s gotta have guys  _ all over _ these towers by now—” I suggested rather forcefully but he stopped me.

“ _ Exactly _ . So if we wanna catch them, then we need to split— sweetheart, this was  _ your  _ idea…” he argued.

“Yeah, ‘split!’ As in ‘ _ evenly! _ ’” I emphasized. He gave an annoyed huff and pulled me aside from the group by my arm like I was a spoiled child. I was fuming.

“Sunny—”

“ _ What? _ ” I snapped. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before he started again.

“ _ Sunny _ … If you can’t already tell… I care, alright. Now, if I’m stuck with these feelings then you gotta deal with the consequences, sweetheart-  _ which means _ ….  _ listening to me _ when I’m trying to keep you safe.” He told me, staring into my eyes with what seemed like good intent. But I wasn’t having it. I lowered my voice, mocking him with my arms crossed; accent and all.

“‘ _ Uh, if you wanted safe, then you’re in the wrong line of work, sweetheart _ —’” I said, furrowing my brows, using his own words against him. He stared quietly for a moment as I spoke before shaking his head.

“Sunny, please!” He snapped before returning to his hushed tone, placing his hands on my shoulders as he towered over me. “ _ Please… _ I’d feel better knowing you were with Nathan and Victor.” I looked at him with narrowed eyes as I fixed my mouth to speak again but he ran his fingers through my hair quickly and held my face in his hands. “Please.” My nostrils flared as my eyes locked with his. I puffed, tearing my gaze from his as I chewed the inside of my cheek, shaking my head and tapping my foot. I stomped before turning away to join the other men. “ _ Thank you _ …” I heard him say.

“Mhm.” I mumbled passive aggressively in response.

  
  


We left the tower the same way we entered. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glad to be above ground again. We walked Sam over to one of the spare Shoreline Jeeps and I shook my head as he climbed inside. Nathan put a hand on the door as we all stood by. “If you run into any of those Shoreline guys, you call me  _ immediately. _ ” He said.

“Will do.” Sam nodded.

“You be careful out there, Sam.” Sully said to him.

“Always am.” Sam replied. Then he brought his gaze to me. I had nothing to say. “Sunny…” I only looked at him for a second, my arms crossed with an annoyed pout playing on my face. He didn’t say anything though. He just glanced over my face. I snorted and looked away. The dirt seemed more interesting than him going off by himself at the moment. He just chuckled and smiled before putting the car in drive. “See you soon.” He told us all before speeding off. I watched him go until he was out of sight, my arms crossed and my brows knitted together. In my peripheral, I could see Nathan and Sully heading for our 4x4. I walked over slowly, passing the extra Shoreline Jeep just lost in thought. He was going to get himself killed. There was just no way I could let him go out there like that by himself. His dumb ass didn’t even take another gun with him. It was when I put a hand on the car that I had made my decision.

“Let’s go Sun—” I heard Nathan say but I had already made up plans of my own.

“I’m not goin’ with you.” I said as I glanced at the pile of artillery in the trunk, trying to decide what I’d take.

“ _ Sunny, now goddammit _ —” Sully started. He already knew what I was gonna say and I already knew he’d only try and stop me.

“Sully, I’m goin’ after him and that’s that, dammit! He is gonna get himself killed and he’s too damn stupid to see that! Nathan, I’m goin’ and you can’t stop me.” I said, grabbing a .9mm and spare deserter bullets. Nathan opened his mouth to speak but the older man cut him off.

“ _ You’ll get yourself killed goin’ after him, Sunny! _ ” Sully shouted at me. He never said it to me out loud but I knew he thought of me as one of his own kids. And because of that he had a tendency to be a bit overbearing. I loved him a lot for it though. He cared more about me than my own father. I could die today and he would never know; probably wouldn’t even care.

“Sully, c’mon…. it’s Sunny. I don’t like it any more than you do but if anyone is good at self perseveration, it’s her. She can keep herself safe until she meets up with Sam.” Nathan said in a calming voice. Sully just stared at me.

“I’ll be fine.” I said, looking at him with a nod. He just shook his head and lit himself a cigar.

“That boy is gonna be the death of you, Sunny Spurrs…” he mumbled. I smirked as I started off for the other car.

“Trust me. I’m aware.” I said shaking my head.

“You let me know when you reach the tower. I’m so serious, Sunny.” Nathan shouted to me.

“Of course.” I said. I hopped into the 4x4 and turned the key that was left in the ignition. I drove up next to Nathan and Sully’s car and sighed.

“If you stay on his tracks, you might just be able to catch up with him. Be safe. Steer clear of the big trucks—”

“Nate, I got it.” I replied.

“Ok. Go. Hurry up.” He said, finally backing off. And with that, I floored it, watching out for the tracks to Sam’s car. He was gonna be pissed but I didn’t care. With his life on the line, he couldn’t afford to be stupid right now.

I followed his tracks to a tower just like the one I had left. Parked right out front was the Shoreline Jeep he’d taken. ‘ _ Well….good… This is good. _ ’ I thought as I released my seatbelt and climbed out of my vehicle. When I arrived at the door, it had already been riddled with bullet holes and kicked in. He definitely wasn’t the cleanest executor of the two brothers but at least it was efficient. I turned on my flashlight with a squeal and shined its glow on the darkness before me. Lined along the walls were skeletons tied to the wooden beams that supported the structure. I suddenly wished I had stayed with Nathan and Sully. ‘ _ God dammit…. _ ’ I thought as I descended the stairway with haste. ‘ _ Please Jesus, if you love me, don’t lemme die…. Like for real… _ ’ I shook my head as I stared into the darkness before me, trying my best to keep as far away from the wrapped skeletons as possible.

So far, I hadn’t had to do much. I had gone down a full flight of stairs, doorways had already been opened, all of which practically lined floor to ceiling with the bare-bones of old pirates. The more bodies I saw, the more disturbed I became. This Henry Avery guy was not somebody to mess with. I walked by a slew of caged skeletons all with the sign “thief” hanging around their necks. ‘ _ Fuck that’s horrible…. _ ’ I thought with a shiver. As I walked into a room, I detected a faint scent of cigarettes. ‘ _ Please let that be you. _ ’ I thought as I noticed a bright orange filter still burning a bit. I came across a massive hole in the wall that led into another tunnel of darkness and sighed. That’s when I heard a loud bang. 

I jumped, digging my nails into my palms nervously. I walked down the tunnel, the smell of cigarettes getting more intense by the second when I heard another loud bang. “ _ Shit! _ ” I heard a panicked voice say. It sounded like Sam. He could be in trouble. I began to sprint towards the rapid bangs, running through several rooms filled with singular skeletal parts; jaws, rib cages, hands. Although with Sam possibly being in danger, I couldn’t think about that. As I passed through a room with more tied up bodies, I collided into something hard and with a scream I was snatched up several feet in the air trapped in a roped net. I found my cheek squished against a warm chest, the scent thick with smoke and sweat. When I looked up, I was met with the familiar set of hazel eyes and furrowed brows. He grunted in frustration as he looked upon my face. I smiled awkwardly with a shaky laugh.

“ _ Heeeyyyy _ ….” I said showing my gums. He wasn’t amused in the slightest. He just raised a thick brow at me and growled a little. “I- I can uh….. I can get us out of this!” I stuttered reaching for my knife. His nostrils flared as his lips curled into something sassy. That’s when the bodies around us began to spark up, the embers running up a string slowly, like a timer. These weren’t just some dead bodies… These were bombs. “Oh shit…” I mumbled as I began to quickly cut the ropes, racing against the clock. He shook his head and forced a brief but fake laugh as I reached up to cut the thick ropes that bound us.

“Didn’t I tell you to go with Victor and Nath- because I  _ specifically  _ remember telling you to stay with Victor and Nathan-  _ why don’t you listen?! _ ” He grumbled in annoyance. I huffed, rolling my eyes as a few pieces of rope snapped at the slice of my blade.

“Sam, now is really  _ not  _ the time to have this argument—” I began but he just couldn’t hold it in.

“ _ Why don’t you listen?! _ ” He shouted dramatically.

“You’re gonna find out  _ real _ fast that I never listen.  _ To anybody. _ Ever—”

“ _ I’m tryin’ to keep you from getting yourself killed— _ ” he snapped frustratingly, interrupting me.

“ _ I can take care of myself, dammit! _ ” I hissed. “You’re the dummy who ran off by himself.”

“ _ I didn’t need you here— _ ” he retorted. I scoffed as a few more ropes snapped.

“And if I  _ hadn’t  _ been here, what in the everloving  _ fuck _ would you be doin’ right now, huh? Tell me that, Sam—” I was beginning to lose my patience with him. I scrunched up my nose as he stuttered a moment, the weight of our bodies dropping us a bit as we hung by four more ropes.

“I would’ve… I would’ve um…” he didn’t have any damn idea what he’d do. I snickered as I cut us free and our bodies fell to the dusty ground with a loud thud. Quickly, we jumped into the hallway before the room could explode. Our bodies landed in the gravel just as more skeletons lit up.

“Oh you’ve  _ gotta  _ be kidding me-”

“ _ We gotta go, Sunny! _ ” Sam sang as he rose to his feet quickly, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me with him as he started to bolt down the tunnel. We ran quite a distance from the onslaught of exploding mummies until we reached the entrance of the tower. The both of us threw ourselves onto the hot red dirt, just as the last mummy had blown up, the doorway caving in on itself.

I turned over to lay on my back, catching my breath as the sun beat down on us. I couldn’t believe I had just done that. My nervousness turned into some kind of dissociative laugh. I was going to be insane by the end of this trip. I looked over at Sam as he sat up to stare at the now blocked entrance, a look of annoyance still playing on his features. We had to cut the bullshit now before we went any further or else we weren’t going to get anything done. ‘ _ Let’s hash it out now, big boy… _ ’ I thought with a smirk.

“You have a lighter. You could burn the ropes, idiot.” I said poking his chest with a small finger to break the silence. He rolled his eyes as he stood and lit himself a cigarette. I scoffed, shaking my head as I rose to my feet as well. “Let’s hope all that noise didn’t attract Shoreline.” I commented but he still refused to answer me. I forced out a quick breath before speaking. “So this is the thanks I get for savin’ your ass?”

“I didn’t  _ need _ to be saved—” he snapped. I opened my arms to him and flexed my lip.

“Holy shit— welcome to my world-”

“Sunny, you’re not getting it!” He chuckled stressfully, rubbing his thick fingers on his temple and wiping away a thin sheen of sweat. I set back on my heel and crossed my arms.

“What am I not gettin’, Sam?” I asked.

“I can’t lose you!” He snapped. And there it was. The crux of the problem. “I am…  _ fully _ aware that you can hold your own but I’ll be  _ damned _ if you died on account of me. Because of  _ my _ mistakes. Okay, then I have to live with that and I don’t wanna.” He told me, his fingers nervously tapping on his cigarette. I knitted my brows together, reaching up as I held his face in my hands.

“Samuel Drake. I’m only gonna say this once so you better listen up and listen  _ real good. _ ” I began, staring him deep in his eyes. “I am a  _ grown ass woman _ . And I will do whatever the hell I please. If that means risking my life to save you, then goddammit that’s what I’m gonna do. Not because I have to, not because of Nate- because of me. Because  _ I want to _ .” I told him.

“Sun—” he started but I placed a finger on his plush chapped lips.

“Don’t interrupt me. I’m not done.” I said authoritatively, and he shut his mouth with a deep sigh. “Unfortunately for you, I care, too.  _ Which means _ …. if you’re in trouble… I’m gonna come runnin’.” I said with a gentle smile. A slow grin threatened to pull on his lips as his shoulders seemed to relax and he inched closer to me.

“Y’know… there were an  _ awful lot _ of skeletons in that tower… and it was pretty dark, too…” he said in a low and rough voice. He let his hand rest on my hip to pull them to his, a rough thumb stroking the exposed skin under my tank top. My heart started to speed up as his nose brushed against mine.

“What about it?” I asked in a breathy tone.

“You braved all that for little ol’ me, sweetheart?” He smirked, hooking a finger under my chin and pressing his lips over mine slow and sweet. I betrayed myself with a soft moan into his mouth as his tongue darted across my lower lip. “Thank you…” he mumbled against my lips. That surge of euphoria coursed through my body as his thick arms wrapped around my waist.

Suddenly, he’d lifted me up in his arms and sat me on the hood of the Jeep, his hands roaming my body as he deepened the kiss. The fact that I was absolutely soiled with sweat and covered in dirt didn’t seem to matter to him when he kissed along my neck and collarbone. I ran my hands through his damp hair as he rolled his hips into mine. I most certainly wasn’t against screwing on the hood of a car in the middle of nowhere. Just as I had tugged on his shirt, suddenly Sam’s smartphone rang. He ignored it the first time but as it continued to ring, he groaned into my mouth and rested his forehead on mine. He pulled out his phone and sighed with a smile. “It’s Nate. I should probably take it, huh?” He chuckled before kissing me again. We broke the kiss, heaving in a needy fashion as he answered his phone. “Hey, little brother. You find somethin’?” He asked. I could hear my best friend’s muffled voice panicking on the other end and suddenly I grew concerned. “Woah, woah, slow down- he what?!....  _ Shit.  _ Alright, hang tight we’ll be right—” he was cut off by the sound of bullets flying by us. He pushed me down on the hood quickly, ducking his head and covering my body with his own as he hung up the phone immediately. I could hear the sounds of multiple engines approaching and gunshots firing off towards us. The beat of my heart sped up from arousal and adrenaline as he pulled me off of the car and ducked down in front of the car grill. “Rain check?” He asked me with a smirk. I just smiled and pulled my gun and knife from their holders, ready to take some people down.

A truck had come, full of ten mercenaries. “Did they  _ really  _ need that many? Jesus lord…” I mumbled as I watched the men begin to surround us. Sam just shrugged with a chuckle. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they’re feelin’ a little threatened.” I smirked. It genuinely pleased me to know that Rafe Adler couldn’t get what he wanted just because he threw his money around.

“Wanna piss him off some more?” He asked me as he tugged on the pistol wedged in its holder on the back of his dirty jeans. I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows.

“Absolutely. You take five, I take five?” I smirked.

“Let’s do this, sweetheart.” He said with a shit eating grin. He stood to fire two headshots and I ran from cover to slice a man’s throat and use his body as a shield when I fired shots at the other four. And we were off….


	14. Chapter 14

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

‘ _ Fuck, fuck, fuck!! _ ’ I thought as I hopped on the back of the stolen motorcycle. After we fought a small army at the tower, a ridiculous amount of more men followed suit. We managed to steal a motorbike from one of the mercenaries and had been getting chased down for the past five minutes. Shots fired in our direction as I wrapped my arms around Sam’s waist, gripping his belt buckle so I wouldn’t fall off as he sped through the dried up valleys, red dirt kicking up at the spin of the wheels. I turned to look behind us and my heart jolted. Trailing behind us was a fleet of mercenaries in 4x4s and trucks, two people per bike. All of them were shooting at us and I groaned as I pulled my gun from my leg holster and began to shoot aimlessly. I was bound to hit somebody. “Shit, shit, shit!” I exclaimed as he weaved his way through the bikes and cars that began to surround us.

When we got too close to another bike, I would kick them over as hard as I could, our bike wobbling a little from the force; topping it off with a headshot to the driver, they’d flip or topple over, being left far behind by the chase. I could feel Sam’s muscles tensing under my touch as we managed to avoid being hit so far. The wind pushed against us as we sweat beneath the setting sun.

“On your right!” He called out. With quick reflexes as another bike approached, I pulled a rifle from the gunner’s arms but he just wouldn’t let go. Sam grabbed onto my thigh, gripping tightly every time I leaned too far to make sure I didn’t fall off of the bike as we fought. He tugged on the gun just a little too hard, making us tilt dangerously close to the burning hot dirt.

“Careful, Sunny!” He shouted above the noise, trying his best to keep control of the bike. When the man wouldn’t let go, I elbowed him in the nose hard, loosening his grip and turned it on him to shoot his partner in the foot. He lost control of the bike it flipped, crashing into a nearby boulder and exploding into flames. My eyes started tearing up as the dust filled the air around us. I pressed my forehead into his back to give myself a quick break. “Just keep shootin’, sweetheart!” I heard Sam shout above the gunfire. I tried my best to shoot as sharply as possible with airborne sand in my eyes. I shot until the clips in both of my guns were emptied, tossing them to the side as they were now rendered useless. I ran my hand down Sam’s back and pulled his pistol out, murmuring in his ear.

“Mind if I borrow this, sugar?!” I asked him in a sultry tone. He just chuckled and looked back at me a moment, his mouth hanging ajar.

“Do what you gotta do, baby!” He responded with a cheeky smile. I realized with my ammo going so quickly that I had to start being a bit more strategic now. I began shooting out the wheels of bikes and 4x4s until they flipped or dragged in the ground. I smirked, hearing multiple complaints from the enemy before their deaths. That’s when a behemoth of a black armored truck came plowing through the chaotic mass of vehicles. It was all fun and games until then. I exclaimed a slew of profanities as I turned back around on the bike. “What happened?!” He shouted.

“Floor it, Sam!” I shouted with haste. He turned his head a moment to look behind him and shouted.

“Shit!” He exclaimed before pushing the bike as fast as it could go.

“How do we stop it?!” I asked him, looking back at the truck as it’s massive bullets cut through the air. He reached into the basket on the side of the bike and pulled out a machine pistol.

“I snagged one of these before we left the tower! Should be full! You got three extra clips, Sunny! Make ‘em count!” He shouted. I groaned. My arms were beginning to get a little tired from holding so much heavy artillery. “You got this, sweetheart!” I heard him say to me as I checked my clip. A small smile appeared on my lips as he spoke. The clip was indeed full and I was now ready to continue slaying our competitors. I turned around to aim at the grill of the truck, firing repeatedly until smoke emitted through the bars. Sparks flew up a bit and the engine was starting to sputter. I reached for another clip and reloaded as Sam continued to navigate us through the chaos. I emptied another clip suddenly noticing there were more men than I thought. More would be coming even after this truck was gone and I began to let the gears in my head turn. I needed to think of something fast.

“Hold on tight!” He said before revving up again and speeding over a ramp. I wrapped my arms tighter around him as I noticed the amount of air time we got. I screamed when the bike landed; he took a hard left and drove along the cliffs. I looked back as 4x4s began to gain on us. Then a light bulb went off in my brain.

“Sammy, I got an idea! But it’s kinda crazy!” I yelled.

“Lucky for you, I’m a big fan of crazy ideas! Whaddya got?!” He asked as we ducked our heads to dodge bullets.

“Slow down a tick. I’m gonna try to steal a car!” I ordered. He smirked and nodded.

“Yes, ma’am!” He said as he eased up on the clutch.

“Keep it steady!” I shouted before gripping onto his shoulders and attempting to stand on the back of the seat. Once I caught my balance, I aimed for the gunner in the passenger seat of the 4x4 behind us. As soon as he went down I leaped onto the hood of the car. The driver tried swerving the vehicle a little to throw me off but he wasn’t getting rid of me that easily. I pulled myself up enough to grab the top of the windshield and hopped over and into the passenger side. The driver’s jaw cracked under my foot with a strong kick and pushed him over the side of the door, immediately grabbing the steering wheel and steadying the vehicle, never losing speed. ‘ _ I can’t believe that just worked! _ ’ I smiled to myself as a ramp came up, descending me onto the valley’s path behind the armored truck. I could hear Sam cheering in the background as I continued to execute my plan. I rammed the 4x4 into several bikes, making them crush beneath the massive wheels. Smirking, I threw my arm into the backseat to pat down the leftover mercenary for weapons, only to find an open case of what felt like grenades. I smiled to myself as I picked out four and sat them in the driver’s seat. I looked up to see Sam still riding cliffs above me and shouted over the gunfire.

“Sam! Can you get in front of the truck?!” I ask as he takes a ramp down onto the path, now riding next to me.

“I can try!” He replied. I picked up one of the grenades and tossed it to him.

“Throw it in the grill!” I ordered. Without further instruction, he sped up ahead of the truck, tossing the grenade and watching it wedge between the bars. He drew back a bit to continue riding beside me and the front end of the vehicle bounced up and slowed down at the explosion. I watched as hunks of metal began to drag around in the dirt, the machinery creaking and moaning so loudly told me it was on its last legs. I tossed two more grenades into the back of the truck and one on the turret before shouting out. “SPLIT!” With that, Sam drove left and I drove right as two explosions went off on the truck, finally causing it to flip. I grinned widely, laughing as I hit the steering wheel. Adrenaline surged through my every being as I looked behind me to see the heap of junk now burning in the middle of the valley.

“HELL YEAH, SUNNY!” Sam exclaimed as more Shoreline vehicles came into view. We were passing through the outskirts of the city and I was beginning to panic now; I was running out of ammo quickly and Shoreline’s fleet was only growing by the minute. Luckily, there was a bit of distance between us and them. This was our chance to escape. I closed in the gap between Sam and I’s vehicles and opened the passenger car door.

“Jump in, we gotta get outta here!” I shouted but he leaned into the bike with his body and closed the door back. I knew exactly what he was trying to do. I shot him a look full of warning. “Sam!”

“I have to find Nathan!” He shouted. ‘ _ Unbelievable!!! _ ’ I thought as several annoyed expressions played out on my face.

“So then we’ll go together!” I reasoned with him.

“You’re not going!” He told me. He was doing it again. That stupid protective bullshit. ‘ _ Oh no ya don’t… _ ’ I thought angrily.

“ _ Sam- _ ” I deepened my voice as I warned him but he cut me off.

“Get to the hotel! Wait for us there!”

“STOP BEING STUPID AND GET IN THE GODDAMN CAR!!” I exclaimed, slamming my hands on the steering wheel, absolutely over his martyrdom.

“SUNNY  _ FOR ONCE _ JUST DO AS I TELL YOU!” He snapped back, the both of us splitting up for a moment as a grenade was thrown between us. When it exploded behind us we came together again. This was too much. This was more than just a few boots on the ground.

“Sam-”

“ _ I’ll be fine, Sunny! _ Once I find my brother, we’ll be outta here!” He said to me. I looked at him with glassy worried eyes, my lips pursed together in anger with a slight snarl. His face softened into something delicate as he looked at me. “I’ll be right behind you, ‘kay sweetheart? Rain check, remember?” He grinned. My heart fluttered with concern for a moment before I groaned and reached behind me to pat down the dead body once again. My hands found another handgun. I tossed it to him.

“You don’t get to die, asshole!” I told him as he tucked the pistol away. He slowed his bike down and rounded my 4x4 until he was on the driver’s side. He leaned in real close and placed a kiss on my cheek. Suddenly, a barrage of bullets flew by us. We ducked our heads as the fleet drew near.

“Take that ramp up there! It’ll get you off road! Be careful, sweetheart!” He said speeding off.

“I MEAN IT, SAMUEL DRAKE! DON’T DIE!” I shouted before taking an off road path just as he said. A bike or two followed me but I easily shot them down. With that, I was on my own, the rural area slowly turning into a neighborhood that led to the city. 

  
  


I was anxious beyond all belief. It was getting dark and I was chain smoking like it was nobody’s business. I hadn’t heard a word from either boys or Sully. My hands shook as I sat on the curb in front of the dilapidated motel. Every now and then a person would walk by and I’d flash them a brief but kind smile. My knee bounced avidly as I leaned my back against the metal gate to stare at the stars. I was suddenly understanding Sully's dislike for the whole “no news is good news” thing. That’s when I heard the rumble of a tired engine pull into the nearby alley. I stood eagerly with wide eyes to see Sully’s exhausted expression as he climbed out of the 4x4 riddled with bullet holes, sweat pouring down the front of his tasteful wine colored shirt. I ran across the street and threw myself into his arms, tearing up just a little bit. “Hey there, kid.” He groaned as his arms tightened around me. He was probably a bit sore from the day but I didn’t care.

“You’re okay.” I told myself out loud as my hands caressed his aged face and stared into those pleasant blue eyes of his. I fixed his silver hair as a few strands were out of place from his part. He just chuckled, patting my hands with his own as he towered above me.

“I’m fine, Sunny.” He said calmly.

“Where are the boys?” I asked. “Any word from them?”

“They should be right behind me. Last I saw Nathan, he was hanging by a rope off a bridge, goin’ after Sam.” I shook my head and rolled my eyes as he told me this.

“Of course he was.” I sighed. “Last I saw Sam, he was on a bike with an army on his ass, goin’ after Nathan.” 

Sully chuckled as he pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it.

“How in the hell did you get outta that?” He asked me with a smirk.

“Not by choice.” I grumbled, the soreness in my arm reminding me that I hadn’t stopped moving since I opened my eyes this morning as I lifted my cigarette to my lips. “Sam sent me away.” The words left my lips like a profane curse. I was absolutely going to let him have it when he got back.

Sully and I waited patiently for what seemed like forever when I heard the zip of a motorcycle nearby. Coming around the corner with Nathan planted on the back was Sam. Both of them were covered in more mud than they already were. The bike came to a halt and the boys hopped off and jogged over to us with massive smiles on their faces. Sam looked over the area for a moment to make sure they weren’t followed and his heavy shoulders dropped in relief. “Alright, I think the coast is clear.” He said, coming back to the group. I hugged Nathan’s neck tightly and he just chuckled.

“Good to see you two made it out okay.” Sully said, patting Sam on the shoulder.

“You’re okay, thank God.” He mumbled to me. I took a deep breath before releasing him and Sam opened his arms expecting a hug as well. I raised a brow at him dubiously. All of the thoughts and feelings I had were boiling in me as my fingers curled into a fist.

“See! Back in one piece. I didn’t-  _ Ahooow _ ... _ shit! _ ” he exclaimed, coughing. My fist drove straight into his diaphragm before I could even stop myself. He gave me a face, asking a silent question as he doubled over in pain.

“You know what you did.” I said briefly before turning my attention to the other two gentlemen. “So! I’m going to assume that you two had  _ much _ better luck than we did.”

“We might’ve found a little something…” Nathan smirked, pulling out his journal. Tucked between the pages were a few folded papers with what looked like tracings of a map. The four of us grouped together, looking at it intently as Nathan read off a few Latin words surrounding what I was guessing was where the treasure was. “Pro Deus quod licentia.”

“And that means….” I didn’t speak a lick of Latin but with the way this trip was going, it was encouraging me to learn more and more. Sam chuckled a moment as he thought to himself before speaking.

“‘ _ For God and Liberty. _ ’ It’s their damn motto. All those ‘paradise’ references.” He said, still rubbing his tummy. “I can’t believe we missed it…”

“Well I’m missin’ all of it. Y’all wanna fill in the rest of the class?” I asked with a slight attitude. A satisfied grin twitched onto his lips as he put my face in his hands.

“Sweetheart….  _ We found Libertalia _ .” He announced to Sully and I. I could see the wonder and excitement decorate his roughed up face as he smiled. This was huge for him and I could feel it in the way he looked at me. Sully gave him a look just as confused as mine.

“I’m sorry… Liba-what-ia?” Sully asked. I chuckled as Sam threw a lazy arm across my shoulders.

“Libertalia. It looks like Avery founded the legendary pirate colony.” Nathan said, scribbling in his journal as we headed for his hotel room.

“T-That’s an understatement!” Sam said to Sully and I as we walked. “It was more like a pirate  _ utopia. _ ” He was rather passionate about his pirates. It was adorable.

“Okay, so what about the treasure?” Sully asked. Sam stopped in his tracks and released me from his arm, talking excitedly and enthusiastically with his hands.

“So the story goes like this…,” he began and I crossed my arms to shield myself from the light breeze that cooled my sweat as I listened intently. “This place was like a safe haven for hundreds- maybe even  _ thousands  _ of pirates, okay. They shared  _ everything; _ properties, resources-”

“Money?” Sully questioned. Sam gave a very nerdy smile.

“Exactly. And they kept it all in one common treasury building.” He explained. I blew out a puff of air and nodded with a raised brow.

“Sounds messy.” I commented. I knew for a fact that they had all turned on each other the moment they got it all together.

“Why do you say that?” Sam asked me, seeming genuinely interested in my opinion. I took a moment to pick my words and could only come up with one.

“Betrayal.” I said simply. He nodded with an impressed expression.

“You could be right.” He said with a smirk. 

“So. Where is this… commie pirate sanctuary?” Sully asked crudely and I snorted at his use of words. Just as he asked, Nathan had turned to face us with a map in hand. He already worked everything out.

“Right here. On that island. Just northeast of King’s Bay.” He said pointing to the circled location. I could feel the optimism rising in the air.

“ _ Thank. Fuck. _ ” I sighed with a smile, tossing my cigarette in no general direction.

“But Rafe has a copy of this-” Sully began and the optimism that affected me began to dissipate.

“I’m sorry-  _ what?! _ ” I exclaimed, my nostrils flaring.

“We had a bit of a snag… he hacked our phones when I was sending a few things to Sam.” Nathan turned to tell me, walking backwards. I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. We just couldn’t get ahead of this guy. Sam just rested his large hands on my hips and stroked them with his thumbs as if to calm me. “ _ But! _ By the time Rafe figures it all out,  _ we _ will already be on our way to Libertalia!” He said sticking his hotel keys in the lock and turning it to let us in. “And then that treasure is good as ours- ssshit...” His voice trailed off as we entered the room. I looked past Nathan and Sully’s frozen tall statues to see a short blonde figure standing at the desk with her back turned to us. I could tell who it was by the way her hair was tied up in a messy knot. And that shirt…. I knew that shirt… I bought her that shirt… ‘ _ Daaamn, Nate… _ ’ I thought as I wiggled from Sam’s grip and stood near Sully. Sam seemed confused by who we were all seeing. He hadn’t met her. And I’m sure it sucked for him to meet her like this. My heart dropped for Nathan.

“How’s that Malaysia job goin’, Nate?” She asked calmly. I could hear the sourness in her voice, never turning to look at us; examining the desk of maps and the small one in her hands. “Seems like you and your team are just a hair off course.” The air thickened when she turned to face us. To face him. I ached for her. The look on her face was a mix of anger, sadness, and duplicity. The hurt that clouded her shiny brown eyes made me really feel it. I took a sharp breath as Sam scurried off into a corner, hoping to go unnoticed. Sully just took a seat and took it like a man.

“Elena, it’s… it’s not what it looks like…” Nathan began. I could see he was at a loss for words.

“ _ Really? _ ” The softness in her voice was chilling. She was trying her best to stay strong and not fall apart in front of us all. She sat the map down and turned to face us with a stone expression. “Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re searching for Henry Avery’s buried treasure…” I could feel it getting worse for Nate as she listed off what she knew in her short time of being here. She walked over to his bed where artillery we had collected over the course of a few days sat in a pile. She lifted a rifle and gave it a once over. “And given the Shoreline soldiers that are all over town… I’m betting you’re not the only ones looking for it.” She set the gun down as Nathan gave a nervous chuckle.

“Well… I guess that’s kinda what it looks like.” He joked. ‘ _ Now is not the time, Natey… _ ’ I thought, kicking him in the back of the leg. I huffed as I watched the drama unfold before me. “But… I can explain. Look, this is gonna sound crazy-”

“Try me.” Elena fired back, her eyebrows knitted together as she crossed her arms. ‘ _ Oof… _ ’ I thought, leaning against the wall near Sully. Nathan stared at her apprehensively, trying to find the right way to start. He stepped aside and gave a soft gesture to his sibling.

“Well, for starters… This is Sam…. Sam Drake. My brother.” He said. Sam was fidgeting uncomfortably with his cuticles before giving her a small mousy wave. 

“Hi…” he greeted, shyly. Elena looked at him a moment. Then her gaze turned to Sully and I. When she looked at me, I felt my heart beating hard against my sinking chest and my lip poke out a tad. I felt partially guilty about leaving her in the dark; I could’ve called her myself... There was absolutely nothing I could say to right that wrong.

“I’m sorry.” Sully said, firmly. There was no excuse for not bringing her into this at all. Not one. She backed up from us all, inching her way to the door to leave but Nathan tried his best to talk to her.

“I-I thought he  _ died _ in a Panamanian jail  _ years ago _ -” he started.

“Nate-”

“But I was obviously very wrong...” Nathan was really trying. I mean  _ really  _ trying. But I could tell that right now in this moment, it was just too fresh and everything was beginning to sound like one gargantuas lie.

“Nathan…” I said, softly, chewing my lip as I walked to place a hand on his shoulder to stop him from talking but he kept on explaining our situation. Elena nodded her head, closing her eyes from the gravity of our little mission. It was all just too much, too soon.

“Okay, just stop…” Her voice was beginning to shake. “....was there  _ ever _ a Malaysia job?” She asked him, her voice breaking a little. I was so hoping Nathan would answer her but he just gave a strained chuckle. He was in deep shit now. Elena took that answer as a no and began to play with her wedding band, twisting it thoughtfully as her face contorted into something hurtful. “Okay…” she whispered before storming off. As I looked at Sam’s face he seemed to display a guilty expression. He was the reason we were all here and it was costing his brother a lot.

I watched Nathan run after her pleading her to understand but she wasn’t having it. “ _ I don’t get you! _ ” She snapped.

“Elena, I  _ wanted _ to tell you-” Nathan’s voice began to raise a few octaves as he spoke, growing frustrated.

“Nathan,  _ enough- _ ”

“ _ But how could I?! _ ” Nathan shouted.

“I don’t know- just say it?!” Elena replied. I could tell she was tired of this overprotective bullshit. It seemed to be a trait that ran in the Drake family. Nathan grew quiet for a moment before answering.

“But I…. I had to protect you.” He said gently, thinking that what he was doing was for the best.

“That is  _ bullshit _ , Nate. You just didn’t have the nerve to face me.  _ Again. _ ” She growled, standing her ground.

“How can I when you react like this?!” Nathan argued. I made an O with my mouth. He just went there...

“ _ How would you react? _ ” She asked him.

I listened to them argue as I sat on the bed, my fingers clasped together, elbows planted into my knees as I stared intensely at the dirty carpet. When Elena finally left, I gave an audible sigh and ran my fingers through my hair, shaking my head. I’d never heard them talk like this to each other before. It was saddening. “I got a plane to catch. You do what you have to do…” I remembered what she said to him. Her words were genuine but harsh in tone. Nathan just frowned and walked to the desk to go over the maps. Sully’s face dropped as he approached him, gesturing to the door Elena just walked out of.

“Hey… what the hell is wrong with you?! Go after her!” He shouted. I’d never heard Sully snap before either. It was all depressing really.

“We’re not done here.” Nathan replied in a monotonous voice.

“Well, maybe we should be.” Sully said, boldly.

“What are you saying?” Nathan hissed.

“I’m saying maybe there’s another way to save Sam-”

“Such as?”

“We give him a new identity- put him into hiding!” Sully said, waving around the papers to Libertalia. I huffed, shaking my head. Even  _ I _ thought that was a bit much.

“He’s been in prison for fifteen years, Sully- he’s not going into hiding!” Nathan snapped back. But Sully was a reasonable man. He could damn near come up with a solution for everything.

“Ok then. How about  _ you _ go after your  _ wife _ and Sunny, Sam, and I will head off for Libertalia.” He suggested, gesturing to the three of us.

“Without me? You’ll get yourselves killed…” Nathan mumbled. I raised a brow with a slight snarl.

“Wow, Nate. Tell us how you  _ really _ feel.” I said looking at him incredulously.

“Sunny, I didn’t mean-”

“Kid, I’ve been doin’ this for a helluva long time. Okay? I think I might be able to handle-”

“You wanna be  _ helpful _ , Sullivan?” Nathan interrupted, calling out his full government. I knew he was upset for real now. He pointed at the door and tuned up his face. “Why don’t you go look out for her?” He rested his hands on the back of the chair by the desk, tapping his fingers anxiously before picking up a map and studying it. Sully looked down solemnly at the papers in his hands and set them down on the corner of the desk with a nod.

“Whatever you say, kid…” he murmured before walking away. My eyes teared up a little and I stood to look at him. I immediately ran to hug him tightly. “Look after these two idiots for me, will ya?” He whispered in my ear. I just nodded as a single tear fell from my eye.

“When you find Elena, text me her room.” I whispered back. He nodded as we separated and he left the room. I turned to look at Nathan with narrowed eyes, opening my mouth to say something and Sam placed a gentle hand on my elbow, shaking his head to tell me not to bother him. I shrugged him off. I’ll be damned if he got to act like that to everybody. He needed to be knocked down a few pegs. “Nathan, what in the  _ hell _ was that?” I said, strongly.

“That was me not trying to make any more trouble for anybody else- do you wanna go to?” He fired back. I looked at him as if he’d lost his everloving mind. I placed my hands on my hips and flare my nostrils.

“ _ I’m here to help you, genius! _ ” I yelled at him. “Get over yourself, Nate. You can talk shit to everyone else but you know  _ damn _ well you’re not gonna do that to me. I’m staying.”

“ _ So then pack your bags, Sunny! _ ” He snapped. It took everything in me to not knock some sense into him but Sam hooked a finger around my belt loop and pulled me back simply. I looked at him and tried to calm myself. With a nod, I backed away and headed for the door.

“See you in the morning, jackass.” I said before slamming the door behind me. I let out a throaty groan and stomped my feet a couple times before lighting myself a cigarette. I loved Nathan with all my heart but sometimes he could just be so  _ damn _ stubborn. It was infuriating. 

On the other hand, I hoped that Elena wasn’t too mad at him. And if she was, maybe I could talk to her and explain things a little better than he had. I walked up the stairs and leaned on the railing outside my door to smoke a cigarette or two more when I noticed Sully at the bottom of the stairs. He looked so tired. But we all were. We’d been at it from sun up to sun down quite literally. “Hey, you.” I greeted him as he climbed the stairs with creaky joints. He gave a weak smile.

“Hey, kid.” He replied.

“Goin’ to sleep?” I asked, simply.

“I think I’ve earned it.” He answered with a faint chuckle. I just smiled and nodded as he passed me to go to his room around the corner.

“I heard that.” I mumbled, rubbing my temple as I stared at the lit up pool before me. ‘ _ God, what I wouldn’t give to be in that water… _ ’ I thought to myself for a moment.

“Her room is 211. Lower level, around the back. Good night, Sunny.” He said before leaving.

“G’night…” I responded rather late. I decided that I would talk to her. I just needed a bit of time to figure out how...


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SMUT SMUT SMUUUT :3

  
  


**_Sunny’s POV_ **

  
  


I stood in the bathroom, washing my body down with a washcloth in the sink. The shower in my motel room was less than favorable so I opted for a bird bath. As I washed my body, I began to think of how to talk to my best friend’s wife. My other best friend. I felt horrible. And I knew I should’ve called Elena the moment Nathan told me that she didn’t know where he really was. “‘Malaysia job…’” I muttered to myself, sourly, shaking my head. She was far from stupid. She was a journalist for Christ sake. And the fact that he never told any of us about Sam… neither did Sully… but you would at least think he’d tell her.

Once I cleaned myself up, I threw on a short plain black dress and a flowery blue sheer cover up. I needed a break from the dirty clothes. Luckily, there was a washer/dryer around and I gathered my laundry in a plastic bag to take them there. I slipped on a pair of sandals and grabbed my wallet and room key. I was going to go to a convenient store later; just on the next corner from here. If I was going to talk to Elena, I was going to need to get a little buzzed afterwards. I stepped outside onto the terrace and standing right outside my door, in nothing but dirty jeans and a tight white tank, was none other than Sam. He leaned over the railing, pressing his thumb into his palms as he looked down at the lit up pool water. He bore a look of guilt and exhaustion. His eyelids heavy and his shapely lips pulled into a slight frown. I blinked a couple times, admiring his strong back before remembering that he’d made me mad earlier in the day. He kept trying to send me away after we  _ just  _ had that conversation. I took a deep sigh before standing next to him, looking out at the city.

“You okay?” I asked. Regardless of how I felt, Nathan’s decision to push on to Libertalia weighed heavily on us all; even more so on Sam. His expression seemed to change at the sound of my voice. He turned to look at me with a smile.

“I’m better now that you’re here.” He said slipping his arm around my waist and pulling me close, kissing my cheek. I moved away from him and crossed my arms. He gave a shallow chuckle and scratched his head. “Did I do something?”

“Sam, you did it again. And we  _ just  _ talked about it at the tower.  _ Just  _ talked about it. Evidently we need to talk again. And in full this time. But first, I need to speak to Elena.” I said starting down the stairs.

“You hungry? We can talk about it over dinner… I was gonna go grab some food.” He asked like a hurt puppy. I looked back at him and nodded lazily before continuing to the laundry space.

“Don’t forget beer.” I called back to him.

  
  


After I tossed my clothes in the machine, I set a timer on my smartphone and went around the motel to find Elena’s room. Room 211. I stood in front of her door, bouncing on my tip toes as I knocked on the door. I bit my lip nervously as I heard the faint pitter patter of her footsteps from the other side. My heart skipped as I heard the door unlock and I think I stopped breathing. She opened the door with puffy red eyes and a tear stained face, already dressed in her pajamas to sleep. My heart broke as I looked into her big brown eyes and I couldn’t do anything else but throw my arms around her neck. It took a few seconds but she finally wrapped her arms around me and tightened her hold, her tears wetting my shoulder. I gave a deep sigh and tightened my grip too. “I’m so sorry- I know I suck, I  _ know  _ I should’ve called, I’m so shitty, I’m the literal worst-” I said in one breath and I could feel her laughing a little. A small smile crept onto my lips as she pulled away with a sniffle.

“You’re none of those things, Sunny. You’re fine. It’s Nathan.” She told me, wiping away her tears and inviting me inside. I knitted my brows as she closed the door and I sat at the foot of her bed, ready to listen. “First he lies about Malaysia and now he has… A brother….” was all she could say. She sighed as she sat with her back against the headboard, picking at her nails and chewing her lip, her gaze drifting nowhere in particular. I blew some air and gave a short head tilt.

“Yeah… Tell me about it…” I said resting on one of my hands as I crossed my legs.

“You mean you didn’t know either?” She asked me.

“Just Nate and Sully…” I shrugged. “I only found out when he called.” I said as she stretched out her short legs and crossed her ankles.

“I wonder what happened to him…” she said. I began to tell her the story of how Sam had gotten left in jail almost exactly as he’d told me; of course all whilst voicing my own thoughts and opinions. With every part of the story, I started to feel sad for him all over again. Thinking that maybe I should give him a break… “Jesus… that’s awful.”

“I know right… he’s lost so much of his life-  _ fifteen years?! _ I was in a jail cell for three months and I was complainin’ like a mother….” I groaned. All my bullshit complaints seemed so trivial when I look back on it now.

“I couldn’t even imagine…” she mumbled. “But why would Nate lie about it? He could’ve told me…”

“I honestly don’t have the answer. I love my boy to death but sometimes he ain’t got the sense God gave a goose.” I said plainly and Elena burst into a giggle. I smiled. “I mean seriously, there’s a tree stump in Louisiana with a higher IQ.” She laughed a bit harder, slapping my knee and I joined in. It was good to see her smiling and not crying. After our laughter died, I began to pick out the leftover dirt from my nails as I spoke. “I’m not tryna make excuses for him at all. What he did was stupid...as hell. Sully and I both told him so. He wanted to keep you from doin’ the same thing I’m doin’. Sticking your neck out for someone you don’t know.”

“But he let you do it?” She questioned. I smirked.

“I’m not his world.  _ You are. _ Can you blame him for wanting to protect this beautiful face?” I said, pinching her cheek. She gave a half laugh and chewed on her lip again. At that moment, I thought about Sam and what he might’ve been trying to do. I hung my head and rolled my eyes, shaking my head. ‘ _ Goddammit… _ ’ I thought. I looked up at her. “Listen, Els… I’m not gonna try to convince you to stay. And you know me. I’m not the best at…. consoling people. But what I  _ can _ do is promise to look out for Nathan if it makes you feel better…”

She looked at me with a bit of fear shining in her eyes. “Has it really been  _ that _ dangerous?” She asked me. I wasn’t going to lie to her. She deserved better than that. I had already lied to her so much already.

“It’s working it’s way up to be the closer we get to finding this treasure. And Sam’s so obsessed with it, all the near death experiences don’t even phase him…” I sighed, shaking my head, shivering as I thought about the couple of close calls I had all day.

“Nothing ever really scares you though.” She said and I scoffed with widened eyes and a nervous chuckle.

“ _ Shiiit _ ….. this trip might get me.” I laughed, scratching at the tip of my nose with my finger nail. “I almost fell out of the 4x4 hangin’ off a cliff this morning so….” She widened her eyes at me with a gasp.

“I’m sorry- what?” She exclaimed. I pursed my lips and gave a nod.

“That deadass happened… and I lost my cool for a minute. Kinda snapped at your husband.” I chewed on my lip and cocked my eyebrow. “If it weren’t for Sam actually, I would’ve quit…”

“So you trust this guy?” She asked. I shrugged.

“More or less. To be fair, I trust no man.” I smirked and Elena returned it. She knew what I was about and that’s why I loved her. Suddenly, my phone’s alarm went off and I groaned as I silenced it. “I would love to stay and chat with you some more but… I have clothes in the wash and a whole other conversation to have.” I said rolling my eyes, honestly not really wanting to leave.

“With who?”

“With Sam…” I said and she nodded, picking at the skin on her lips. “Much like another Drake we know, he has a tendency to protect me from damn near everythin’....” I told her as I stood and she just laughed.

“Yeah. That seems to be a common theme, huh?” She commented as she stood. I turned to look at the strong and beautiful woman before me as my hand touched the door knob. I was blessed to have a friend like her in my life. Lord knows she deserved better than all of us.

“I’ll be seein’ ya?” I asked.

“Perhaps.” She joked. I hugged her once again and left her room with a sigh. She had a lot to think about.

  
  
  


**_Sam’s POV_ **

I walked down the street with a cigarette hanging from my lips, humming a tune as I carried a four pack of tall cans and a half and half pizza. All things considered, I was feeling pretty good. We had a lead and a damn good one at that. And I was almost positive Rafe hadn’t figured out where we were going yet. This talk with Sunny though… I know it’s been annoying to hear herself repeat to me that she can handle herself. And I understood that but the main reason was that I couldn’t have her hate me if things got “hinky”. I know what I’m like during the hunt and things were only going to escalate the closer we got to this treasure.

As I came around the corner, I noticed Sunny coming out of the laundry room. She wore a fitted black dress and a flowing blue shawl fell off of her shoulder. My heart skipped a few beats looking at her. To say that I was simply attracted to this woman was an absolute understatement. I called out to her, goofily grinning and raising the food in my hands. “I didn’t know what you liked on your pizza so it’s half pep half cheese.”

“Booo, no pineapple?” She smirked, taking the pizza from me as she climbed the stairs and I followed behind her, watching her hips work like a cat as I ash my cigarette. ‘ _ Holy shit, what a woman… _ ’ I thought as I bit my lip and shook my head. It should be a crime to look that good. I grunted as I pushed my legs up the steep stairs and into her room. “God, I’m so hungry, I could eat the north end of a south-bound goat.” She mumbled. I cackled. She said the darnedest things sometimes and I loved every second of it. “Did Nate say anything after I left?” She asked as she sat down at the head of the bed and opened the box, revealing a steamy, mouthwatering pie. The scent filled the room as I closed the door behind me and sat at the foot of her bed.

“Besides swearin’ all over the place and tellin’ me to go pack, not really no. I think he needed some space.” I said, kicking off my boots and sitting cross legged to face her. I pulled two cans from the plastic ring and handed her one before looking about for the ashtray. Without even looking, she picked it up off her nightstand and passed it to me. I smirked as I placed the butt in the mostly clean tray and she cracked open her can, sipping it gingerly. I watched her face as she poked her lip out afterwards with a nod. “It’s good?” I ask.

“It’s alright for what it is.” She said with a shrug. Then she did something that really got to me for some reason. She turned the can around in her hands to check the alcohol percentage. “It’s 10% though so if you drink it fast enough, you’ll be good to go.” I gave an earnest chortle as I sipped my own beer, my heart pounding. She was right. It wasn’t that great but it would definitely numb my muscles for the night.

“Now let’s see about this pizza.” I rubbed my hands together as a delicious scent crept through my nostrils. I picked up a pepperoni piece and held the wide slice in my hands. Sunny did the same, picking of a piece of pepperoni as strings of cheese held on to the cooked meat. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she gave a satisfied moan, giving me a slight twinge in my pants. A smile pulled on my lips as I took a bite of my own slice. “Oh hell yes.” I grumbled with a mouth full of pizza.

“ _ Hell. Yes. _ ” She agreed as she ate. I chuckled and we continued to eat the whole pizza. That woman could put away some food. She was so small though; I wondered where it all went. Even with her cheeks stuffed with pizza, she was the most amazing person to look at. As she leaned back to let her stomach settle, I could see her chest heaving. And I watched for a moment, letting my eyes fall to her cleavage. I followed her collarbone over her petite shoulders and up her delicate neck; To her jawline, her perfect face (even with a few bruises and scrapes) and all over her sweet caramel skin. My heart stopped a tick when she looked at me with those big baby eyes. I remembered the way she touched me as we escaped the thrall of a fleet of Shoreline soldiers, the way she kissed me just before then, and how she fought so bravely in several fights before that. I couldn't bear something happening to this  _ outstanding _ woman. And I know she didn’t like it but I would always try to keep her safe… I cleared my throat and picked up my beer before speaking.

“So… don’t hate me...” I began, taking a large gulp and closing up the box to sit it on the floor beside the bed. She raised a brow at me as she sipped from her can to wash down her food. “But I wanted to suggest something.”

“Oh no,” she sang with a smile. “What is it?”

“I think you should go with Elena… back home, I mean…” I treaded very lightly on this subject. Just as I had said those words, the smile on her face disappeared as quickly as it came.

“ _ Samuel Drake… _ ” she growled, gripping her beer tightly as she stood to pace.

“Hear me out-” I started, raising my hands defensively, scooting towards the edge of the bed.

“Sam, I am  _ not _ leaving-” I cut her off, getting a little frustrated myself. She was being so stubborn. She was almost as bad as me. When I say I’ve met my match…

“Sunny, just  _ listen _ to me for a sec-”

“No _you_ listen!” She snapped. I shut up and gave a huff as I ran my hand down my face, letting an elbow and a hand rest on my knees as they bounced anxiously. I set off the bomb and now it was time to be blown to bits. “I _want_ to be here, Sam! Not just for you, not just because Nathan needed me- _I_ needed this adventure! You know what I’m goin’ home to after this?! Absolutely not shit! Not a damn thing but a shitty job that I wish I could just up and leave because I get _no respect,_ _harassed every day,_ _and nothin’ but backhanded compliments from ignorant tools tryna grab my ass._ I wanna _die_ every day, Sam. Literally _die!_ ” She told me as her brows furrowed and her lips curled into a snarl. I could feel my face publicize a downcast look while she spoke. My brows knitted together as a sort of sadness took place in my eyes. “When I get called on a job, I am _so_ excited to leave that shitty bar. And I hope the job lasts for months. Even if we don’t find anything, I’m grateful to just be gone. And then Nathan calls me to Italy… and I meet you. This scruffy lookin’ nerfhearder…” she chuckled towards the end. A warm smile crept onto my face at the Star Wars reference as she ran a thumb across my cheek. “And you’re… funny and really smart, a ridiculous flirt and strong in more ways than one. You’re everything a man should be… But you’re stupid. And you’re reckless as hell. And you wanna do _every damn thing_ by yourself-”

“If I do it myself, no one gets in the way-” I replied, trying my best to get a word in but she wasn’t having it. She growled.

“But it can’t always  _ be like that _ , Sam!” She snapped, cutting me off. Her hands waved about as she spoke. “W-What if you get caught in another trap- like you did today- and you can’t get out of it? What if you set something off and you end up drowning or impaled or blown up?! I like you way too much to let something like that happen to you!” She huffs and looks up trying to keep the tears at bay but her huff is strained in her throat and her eyes are starting to grow glassy, and all I want to do is hold her. Her lips trembled as I reached out to place my hands on her waist, knees parting slightly for her to stand between them. Nobody ever talked to me this way. Demanding… with confidence and slight authority… With this much worry...

“Sunny… I couldn’t forgive myself if anything or anyone hurt you. I just wanna protect you as much as possible. The closer we are to finding Avery’s treasure, the more likely we are to run into Rafe and God knows what he’d do to you-”

“I’m not afraid of Rafe.” She commented.

“I know, sweetheart… Nothin’ is gettin’ by you. And that’s one of the many, many things I like about you so much. And I’m sorry. I didn’t know life was that awful for you back home…” I told her as I hooked my hand under her thigh and pulled it over my leg so that she was straddling me. I let my hands massage her hips and cup the rounds of her ass for a moment as I looked at her. I snaked a hand around her neck and brought her forehead to mine. ‘ _ But at least you’d be alive… _ ’ I thought as our noses bumped into each other’s. “And I’ll be more careful, sweetheart…” I told her in a rough but very sincere tone. I kissed her in the crook of her neck. “I promise… I promise…” She let out a soft moan as I kissed a trail up and across her neck to kiss her cheek, wiping away a single tear with my thumb. “I’m sorry…” I whispered as my breath danced about hers. Her soft, small hands wrapped around my neck; One playing with the curls at my nape. She tugs on them lightly, pulling my face away from hers for a moment to stare into my eyes.

“Don’t leave me again, Samuel Drake…” she shivered as I ran a hand down her back gently.

“I won’t…” I gasped as she pressed her velvety lips on my neck, kissing each bird tattooed in a flock on my neck. 

I pulled the shawl down from her shoulder, placing hot kisses there. I tightened my grip on her as she worked her way up to my ear, nibbling on it carefully and I let out a shaky moan. Our lips crashed together and all my worries disappeared for a moment. The kiss was hungry and greedy on my part. I wanted her. I needed her. But I was seriously mistaken when I thought that I was the only one in control of the situation. She slipped off her shawl and dug her fingers into my hair, kissing me back with unrelenting passion as her hips rolled in my lap.

I betrayed myself with a moan as she forced me down on the bed. ‘ _ Holy shit… _ ’ I thought as she marked my neck and chest with sucks and nibbles, leaving behind a trail of pink and purple bruises as she went. She pulled at the hem of my tank and I helped her pull it off me as her hands fiddled with my belt. She made short work of it and I sat up a moment to touch her but she pushed me back down again. A surprised twitter of laughter left my throat as she continued to place kisses down my stomach. Her fingers ghosting over the scars from when I was shot. My breathing hitched under her electrifying touch and she began to undo my jeans. I had to say, it was new to me that I was the first one to be undressed. I wasn’t used to it but I damn sure wasn’t complaining.

I let my hands roam under her dress, slapping her ass as I did and she gasped, being caught off guard. That was my chance. I sat up again and lifted the dress over her head quickly, her breasts falling freely in front of me, revealing an elaborate under breast tattoo. I groaned at the sight of her, cupping them roughly and massaging my thumbs into her nipples as I placed vicious kisses across her chest and between the valley of her breasts. She let out a sweet sigh as my hips bucked up into hers and I could feel myself growing ridiculously hard beneath her. She moved her hips a little eagerly, trying to get more friction but all that made me want to do was fuck her sooner. But I couldn’t do that just yet. I wanted to take my time with her. I swiftly picked her up in my arms and flipped her on her back. A big satisfied smile crawled across her face as I hovered over her, rubbing myself against her center. I smirked when I leaned down to kiss her again, her tongue darting over my lips, begging for entrance and I let her in. My teeth dragged along her bottom lip and I let myself drag a kiss over her chin and across her jaw, leaving wet kisses over her throat. I let out an amused chuckle as I felt the vibrations from her moans on my lips.

My hand slipped down between us and I could feel her wetness through her pink lacy panties already. She was making it very hard for me to take this slow. I let my fingers slip past the hem and she bucked her hips the moment I laid a single finger on her drenched slit. She began rocking her hips against the heel of my palm but I pushed her hips down with my free hand and picked up the pace myself. Her eyes squeezed tightly closed as I brought her to the edge, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. Just when she thought she was about to let go, I stopped with a sadistic grin on my lips. I brought myself to my knees and pulled her panties down over her legs, a string of wetness clinging to the fabric and my mouth watered. I massaged her inner thighs, my kisses leaving bruises the closer I got to her dripping cunt. Finally, I realized that I was only teasing myself and licked a long stripe with the flat side of my tongue.

She let out a long shivery sigh. I grinned as I made out with the lips between her hips for a while, lapping up the juices as they fell. I sucked on her clit rather roughly as I snaked my arms under her hips to keep her in place and she took hold of my hair, tugging on it with need. I growled into her and the tip of my tongue teased her so. My name was hot on her lips as I worked. I brought her close to the edge again and pulled away with a laugh. She didn’t seem too amused. She growled and slammed her hands into the mattress as I stood to pull down my jeans. Just as my cock sprang from my confines, rock hard, standing pink and veiny, Sunny sat up and wrapped her small hands around it. My knees almost gave out at the sudden contact. She took the opportunity to switch positions and now I sat on the edge of the bed. Her hands glided up and down my member so skillfully before her tongue met with my tip, leaking pre cum. She sucked at the tip a while before taking me whole in her mouth. The groan that tore from my throat was a little louder than I meant for it to be. “ _ Jesus, sweetheart… _ ” I managed to say as she made me a moaning mess. Her tongue dragged along the underside of my cock as she caressed my balls gently and it took everything in me not to cum right then and there. Just as that burn began to swell in the pit of my stomach, she ceased any further stimulation and kissed the tip with a cheeky wink. ‘ _ Fuck _ …’ I thought with a massive huff.

She climbed my body like a tree, kissing her way up to my lips and I caressed her face gently. My member graced her slit ever so lightly and she moaned into me, basically teasing me as she rubbed her wetness onto me. Then she took hold of me, easing herself down onto me with an erotic sound escaping her lips. The words “please ride me” left my mouth before I could even think. And with that she began bouncing on top of me. I left my hands on her hips to give her more stability as she pleasured herself with my cock. My heart was about to rip out from my chest, it was beating so hard. I tried picking up my hips to meet her bounces but she placed both hands firmly on my chest and began to ride me into the night. I was seeing stars as she looked down at me. I reached out for her face as she rolled her body on mine, our moans mixing in with each other’s like music as she slowed down. I growled into her mouth as my hand came in harsh contact with her ass again and she gasped. “Bend over the desk, baby girl.” I told her in a low commanding tone. For once she did as she was told and sauntered over to the bare desk, wiggling her ass at me a little as she rested her palms flat on the wood. That’s when I noticed the tattoo of Japanese characters lined down her spine. That was enough motivation to get me going again. 

I walked over to her, lifting one of her knees onto the surface of the desk, making her back arch perfectly. I slapped her ass again before driving into her roughly. My thrusts were needy and wanton as I rested my chin on her shoulder, grunting animalistically in her ear as the pitch of her moans grew higher and higher. I pressed her hips down into the desk as I felt myself hit her spot. And I knew I did when she squealed. I couldn’t stop. My name sounded like a prayer coming from her as I drove into her like mad, hitting that spot for her over and over again. I was nearing my end too. As she cried out, I felt her walls tighten around me and I let out an audible noise of satisfaction as that burn swelled in me again, spilling my seed deep into her as I let her milk me dry. I slowed my thrusts as a thin sheet of sweat appeared on my forehead. I was heaving as I rested my head on her shoulder and she laughed in exhaustion. ‘ _ Best….sex….ever. _ ’ I thought with a laugh of my own as I pulled out from her. She turned around and held my flushed face in her hands before placing a long, meaningful kiss on my lips. All I could do was smile and pull her close. 

“I left my clothes in the dryer…” she chuckled. I snorted.

“That’s what you’ve got to say after we just…” I joked and she cracked up with the sweetest laugh. “I mean really. That was some pretty  _ damn  _ good sex and you just…” she laughed even harder and the beautiful smile on her face made me want to kiss her again. “You go get cleaned up, I’ll grab your clothes.” I told her, pushing her short curls off her forehead so I could press a kiss there. Then I pressed one on her cheek and the side of her neck with a pleased smile before gathering my clothes. I put on my jeans, not even caring about a shirt and rushed to get her clothes so that I could go back to her. When I came back, she was wearing that black dress again, curled up over the top of the comforter. Her eyes heavily lidded as she tried her best to stay awake for me. I smiled at her and set her freshly cleaned clothes down in a nearby chair before jumping on the bed next to her.

“Are you sleeping here tonight?” She asked me tiredly as her lashes fluttered over her cheeks. I nodded, stroking her curls and wrapping her small frame in my arms.

“If you don’t mind…” I replied. She gave an incoherent response as I watched her pass out in my embrace. I turned off the lamp beside the bed and just watched her sleep in the glow of the moonlight. I took this time wanting to remember every detail of her, knowing in the morning that she’d hate me for what I was about to do...

  
  



	16. Chapter 16

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

I woke up with the sun blinding me as it peeked through the curtains. Wincing and shielding my eyes, I turned over, wanting to cuddle the man who’d done my body right the night before. My heart sank when I saw that no one was there. But next to my head on the pillow was a napkin with two words scribbled on it. “ _ I’m sorry. _ ” I felt my chest begin to heave as a burning sensation boiled in me. ‘ _ No way in hell he didn’t…. _ ’ I thought, standing up and bolting out of my room to go to Nathan’s room. I knocked on his door frantically. ‘ _ C’mon, Nate…. tell me you didn’t…. _ ’ I thought nervously. I knocked again for a while and when he didn’t answer I lost my cool. “Mother  _ FUCKER! _ ” I snapped, punching the door. I began to kick the door angrily until the door next to his opened. Sully poked his head out, wincing at the bright sun. 

“Sunny?! What’s wrong kid? It’s still early…” he grumbled.

“They left without me!” I hissed. “Mother  _ FUCKER! _ ” I exclaimed, kicking the door again.

“Shouldn’t it be plural?” Sully yawned.

“No, I know it was Sam. I  _ know  _ it was! He asked me to go home with Elena last night and I told him no.  _ I promised Elena I’d look out for Nathan _ and that  _ ASSHOLE- _ ” I said storming off and he followed me with haste.

“Kid,  _ calm down  _ a second!” He called after me as I ran up the stairs. “Just what in the hell do ya think you’re doin’?!”

“I’m goin’ after them, that’s what. And when I get a hold of Sam, I’m gonna  _ wring _ his skinny little neck!” I growled, hysterically. I was shaking all over.

“Now Sunny, wait a  _ goddamn  _ minute!” He yelled, grabbing hold of my wrist to stop me. I turned to look at him, just seething. “Maybe it’s a good thing they left you behind. Rafe isn’t gonna take too kindly to seeing you work with those two after you blew him off in Italy—”

“ _ Rafe can suck a tit! _ ” I snapped in frustration before clapping my hands in front of me to center myself. “Sully, I love you. You know I do-  _ but I made a promise _ . And I intend on keeping it…” I said to him before turning to leave off again. He sighed and followed me to my room.

“And just how do you plan on getting to a remote island with no boat or no plane?” He asked me, rubbing the sleep out of his old eyes.

“I’ll figure it out.” I said, stubbornly as I gathered my clothes together and checked my own little collection of guns.

“Uh-huh. And when you get there, what exactly are you gonna do?” He asked, leaning into my doorway with his rather muscular arms folded across his toned chest.

“I will  _ figure it out, _ Sully.” I sighed, shrugging off my shawl and taking my clothes in the bathroom to change. I could hear Sully enter the room from the other side and close the door.

“You’re goin’ in half cocked! You should at  _ least  _ have some back up, Sunny. Goin’ out there alone would be suicide!” He shouted.

“And who’s gonna go with me? You?” I asked as I pulled my green tee shirt over my torso and pulled my dark jeans up my hips. He gave an offended chuckle.

“Y’know, I’m tired of you kids thinkin’ I’m too old to kick your asses. If not me, then… why not talk to Elena?” He asked, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Elena’s not goin’.” I mumbled as I opened the door, grabbing my denim collared shirt from my bed next to where Sully sat.

“And how do you know that without even asking her?” He looked at me with a cocked brow. I looked at him a moment before going to the tv stand where I stored my guns. “Sunny… it would give an old man peace of mind….” He said softly. I sighed. I hated when he played my emotions like that.

“ _ Fine _ .” I said, rolling my eyes as I shoved my feet into my boots. “I will talk to her…” I shook my head as I left the room and started for Elena’s.

I rubbed my hand down my face as I stood in front of her door. I knocked lightly, tapping my foot urgently. She opened the door with a sleepy expression on her face (one rather similar to her husband’s), her blonde hair hanging in her face. “Sunny? What’s up?” She asked me, pushing her hair back.

“They left without me.” I said to her through my teeth. My hands clenched together in an attempt to calm the storm raging in me. Her eyes widened and her brows came together as she opened the door a little wider.

“They  _ what? _ ” She asked in surprise before tapping her fingers on the door.

“I’m gonna go after them, Elena. Sully doesn’t want me to go alone and says that I should at least ask you….” I grumbled. She bit her lip and nodded her head in thought.

“Where are they?” She asked me, straightening her posture.

“On an island northeast of King’s Bay. Sully would be able to tell us where it is.” I said, hanging my head. She put her hands on her hips before turning into her room. 

“Why tell us when he can take us?” She said going through her duffel bag to pull out some clothes. My heart skipped for a moment before speeding up any faster.

“Elena…” I said in a soft tone as I watched her change quickly.

“How soon do you think Sully can get that plane up and running?” She asked, pulling her hair up into a messy bun.

“I… maybe thirty minutes… I’ll have to ask.” I said in shock, a huge smile painting on my lips.

“Good! You got another one of those?” She asked, pointing at my gun in the holster on my hip. I smirked as I nodded. For the first time, it was going to be Elena and I braving the jungles.

  
  


The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the plane, bouncing my knee up and down nervously. Repeatedly checking my guns, I pursed my lips. “So what’s the plan here?” Sully asked as he flew the plane.

“I…. don’t have one….” I mumbled; Sully was right. I didn’t have a plan. I clenched my fist and shut my eyes tight, pressing my knuckles between my brows with a huff.

“Sunny, we’ll find them.” Elena said, putting a hand on my arm as she sat across from me. I gave a small smile, scoffing a tad. I shook my head at a loss.

“What am I gonna do, Els?” I frowned. “God only knows where they are by now…”

“We can split up. You take one end of the island, I’ll take the other-”

“ _ Elena… _ ” I heard Sully grumble with a hint of warning.

“Sullivan, you  _ know _ it’s our best bet. Sunny is  _ more _ than capable of going out there by herself.” She said holding her hand out for Sully to pass her another communications device. “We can cover more ground that way. And with you in the air, you can check in on us whenever.” I watched a Sully scratched at his mustache.

“I just want you two to know that I don’t like this one bit.” He mumbled.

“Blame it on Thing One and Two.” I joked blandly and Elena let out a giggle. Sully gave a forced chuckle and handed her the communication device. When the device was in my hands, an idea came to me. “Maybe we shouldn’t split up so soon. Let’s stick together until we find a Shoreline camp, then we can steal ourselves some 4x4s and we can split from there. That way we have guaranteed escape and a nice little selection of guns… Holy shit…” my voice trailed off as we flew by an island with a massive statue of a pirate. Elena and Sully were just as enchanted as I was. It was incredible. Then I became upset. They had discovered all of this already and Sam had taken my adventure away. I wanted to find that treasure just as much as they did. I was involved. And now I was behind, following the trail they’d set. With a sigh, I sat back in my seat. “Avery?” I asked.

“More than likely.” Elena responded. “But I don’t think the boys are here anymore...” She pointed towards a colossal cave, it’s mouth wide open like a snapping turtle or a shark… it gave me the jitters. At the base of this island were  _ several  _ Shoreline boats. They’d been trailing us every day since Italy. Evidently, we were the more capable treasure hunters.

“Let’s hope they didn’t leave too much of a mess for you ladies.” Sully commented before banking left to circle the island. “It’s too hot to drop you two off at the front door. I’ll have to put you on the side and make myself scarce. You’ll have enough on your plate when they see the plane.” I let out a long groan.

“We have to fight already?” I asked as I slung the artillery over my shoulder and sucked my teeth. “Might as well get it over with…” I grumbled as Sully lowered the plane to the island.

It happened just as he said. He dropped us off on the side of the island and almost as soon as his plane took off, we were met with soldiers. Elena and I took cover. With a bit of stealth and very few bullets from Elena’s handgun, we took out the small group of mercenaries and started towards their base. Shoreline was practically crawling all over the island so there actually weren’t many men guarding the post. I counted three men by the massive boat that carried all of their vehicles, two near artillery, and two near the cars.

Elena and I hid in the shrubbery, analyzing the situation. It was almost too easy to clear out this crew. More than half of them weren’t even paying attention so sneaking up on them was nothing. So far, Elena and I had gone through Shoreline smoothly. But I knew that it would be when we separated that things would get a little messy. “Sunny, watch your back. And if you find them, let me know…” she told me as we both climbed into our respective 4x4s. I nodded at her as I sat my gun in the front seat.

“No- you watch  _ your _ back Elena.” I began as my grip tightened on the steering wheel. Suddenly, I was having second thoughts about us splitting up. “Y’know…. Maybe this was a shitty idea- I should go with you—”

“Sunny—”

“Nathan would  _ literally kill me _ if anything ever happened to you. We could be looking out for each other…” I said cutting her off as I bounced in my seat nervously.

“Sunny, we will be  _ fine _ . Both of us are strong, capable women and we get shit done. Anything those assholes can do, we can do. And more efficiently too.” Elena assured me. I pursed my lips and nodded before staring off in no particular direction, thinking of all the possible things that could go wrong. “Hey…. you still with me?” She asked me, catching my gaze.

“Yep…. I guess we should go now then.” I said starting the car.

“You drive towards the north end and I’ll take the south!” She shouted above the engines. I shot her a smile to let her know that I “wasn’t worried” and began to speed off, Elena taking off in the opposite direction.

And then there was me. I was still racking my brain, trying to think of what exactly I could say to Sam besides a giant “fuck you”. He  _ knew  _ I wanted to help find that treasure, he  _ knew _ I needed this and he just took matters into his own hands. Matters that weren’t his to take. With a frustrated sigh, I rested my head in my hand as I drove between ruins and landscapes. I took a path that led me to driving along a few cliffs when I noticed them. Along the shoreline was ship wreckage. One big boat had a large hole blown through the side and a bunch of smaller ones around it were either destroyed and floating in the waves or crashed among the sand and rocks. ‘ _ Holy shit guys…. what were you doing?! _ ’ I thought as my path began to take me deeper into the jungle. That’s when I heard a loud boom and rapid gunfire in the distance. I started to panic a little bit as I sat up in my seat, driving with a bit more haste. I could only hope for now that it wasn’t Elena or Nate and Sam.

I stopped the car in a valley with rocky walls lining either side. I could hear the gunfire more clearly now above me. I climbed the walls until I found myself at the top, watching a shoot out. As I took cover to see what the commotion was all about, I saw Nathan atop some rocks in the distance, taking out a good chunk of Shoreline’s fleet. I began to assist him and take out a few mercenaries of my own, calling for my best friend’s attention but the gunfire was just too much and too loud. I watched as he got further and further away from me. I then realized that I was the only one in this fight. “Oh  _ fuck _ me…” I groaned as I picked up some ammo from a dead man’s vest. I fought my way through the men as best as I could but they just kept coming in waves and I was growing tired. I’d been shot in the side. Just a graze but it was enough to annoy me. As I had come to realize my best just wasn’t enough, I found myself cornered, all guns pointed at me; there was nothing I could do about it. “God _ dammit! _ ” I hissed to myself. No one could bail me out of this one. I was alone. That’s when I heard a familiar woman’s voice.

“What the hell is all that racket?!” I heard her say. One of the mercenaries with Mohawk mullet situation gestures to his men to let her pass through as he spoke.

“We got one of them. The Spurrs girl.” He said. And my heart jumped at the sight of her. Dressed in her militant fatigues and her curls bellowing in the wind was Nadine Ross. She seemed much more comfortable in this climate than she did at the auction. But I suppose we all were. She crossed her arms and scoffed with a mischievous smile playing on her curved lips.

“Oh dear…” she mewled as she approached me.

“Seems like those Drake brothers left their little pet behind. Want me to off her?” The mercenary smirked as he stroked my cheek carefully. My stomach lurched at the contact and Nadine grabbed his wrist.

“That doesn’t mean you get to put your hands on her. Have a little  _ respect _ , Orca. And no. Adler is going to want her alive.” she said to him before turning back to me. She paced in front of me, swinging her hips as she pointed a finger at me. “I remember you. You were at the auction. Rafe’s date…”

“Yup…that’s me...” I grumbled, trying my best to calm myself. She chuckled lightly as she pulled out her pistol and pointed it at me.

“Oh he’s gonna have a  _ lovely  _ time with you. You and these Drake brothers have caused us  _ quite  _ a bit of trouble. I will admit it though. I definitely underestimated you lot.”

“Meh. It happens all the time if you can believe it.” I smirked at her with sarcasm, staring at her amber colored eyes. “I never once underestimated you though. Beauty and brains is a scary good combination.” I bat my lashes at her and spoke real slow, drawing out my accent in hopes to soften her up a bit. She grinned as she leaned towards me, resting a hand on my cheek.

“Flattery will get you nowhere in your position I’m afraid. But you’re sweet.” She said to me with a pleasant expression before it rolled into annoyance and a snarl. With a swift swing, she struck my cheek with her fist and I fell to my knees, holding my jaw to make sure she hadn’t broken it. That woman could pack a punch. It left me a little light headed from the force in all honesty.

“ _ Jesus!!  _ What happened to hands off?” I asked.

“I said  _ he _ couldn’t put hands on you. Never said a thing about me.  _ On your feet. _ Relieve Ms. Spurrs of all her weapons and devices.” She commanded and two mercenaries grabbed me by my elbows and pulled me to my feet, tying my wrists behind me with a zip tie and yanking me about; several hands rubbed and prodded me, taking away my guns, my knife, and my connection to Elena. I groaned at my situation. I kept thinking what Nathan would do if he were in my position. ‘ _ Make lame jokes until he was in a better position… _ ’ I thought. I couldn’t do much else at this point. So I decided that I would wait and face Rafe...

“Oh  _ please _ tell me you have some super fancy resort base somewhere on the island.” I said as I threw my head back. “This heat is  _ killin’  _ me!” I continued talking and making witty quips to show that I was nothing to worry about as they led me to a 4x4.

“Shut it!” The man called Orca snapped, forcefully shoving me towards the open car door.

“Alright, alright-  _ easy, dude! _ ” I exclaimed before sliding into the seat. As he got in behind me, I watched as Nadine jumped in the front seat, pressing a button on her communication device.

“Come in, Rafe!” She said into the speaker.

“Goddamn it, Nadine, what is it now? I’m busy!” I heard his voice angrily reply on the other side. I rolled my eyes as I looked around for a moment. My gaze gravitated toward a cliff in the distance. I could see Nathan  _ and _ Sam and for a small moment, I felt a bit of relief. They were okay. I panicked a little as I stared at the two intently like an idiot, hoping that maybe they’d see me if they felt eyes on them. Of course it was no use. I watched both of them arguing about something briefly before running off and gave a defeated sigh. ‘ _ Don’t let these assholes get ahead, Natey! _ ’ I thought as they disappeared between a rough bunch of vines.

“I’ve got a present for you. Sunny Spurrs.” She said and the line went quiet for a moment.

“Bring her to camp.” He said simply and darkly.  _ Now  _ I was nervous. It was time for me to stand up to yet another man. 

I felt physically sick the whole drive. Another fragile male ego had been hurt and I was going to pay the price for it. I damn near wanted to cry when the car stopped at a site, Shoreline mercenaries of every kind crawling atop every ruin and all doing their part to find something valuable. The only reason I was feeling  _ remotely _ confident was because I knew they were going the wrong way, checking the wrong things. ‘ _ Idiots… _ ’ I thought as Orca hopped out and grabbed my elbow, practically dragging me out of the 4x4. I fell onto the itchy grass with a whine as I tried to deal with the brief pain. “This shit ain’t soft, y’know?!” I snapped at him as he pulled me to my feet. Nadine chuckled as she started off towards an area beneath the ruins.

“Shut your mouth and move!” He snapped as he pushed me forward.

“ _ Alright! I’m goin’! _ ” I spat before following Nadine very carefully. 

As we got closer to the ruin, I could see the man I dreaded to run into again; he was leaning over a desk with another man looking at a map, speaking angrily. Most likely, he still hadn’t found his way into Libertalia. My heart raced as we neared him. I had to keep my cool. I couldn’t let him get to me and I couldn’t let him catch up to the boys. When he locked eyes with Nadine, he excused the man from the area and smiled that million dollar smile before kissing her cheek. And then his eyes fell upon me. He was dressed in a smoky dark grey tee shirt that clung to his chest for dear life and comfortable black cargos with boots. His hair was still freshly slicked back off of his forehead, those dimples still etched into his cheeks. There were little dark circles beneath his eyes now though; as if he’d been losing sleep. Or as if he hadn’t slept at all. He seemed more agitated since I saw him last. Orca shoved me towards him and I dropped to my knees, hissing as they skidded in the dirt a little. Rafe walked before me with his arms opened wide to me.

“Well look who we have here…  _ Sunflower Matilda Spurrs _ . I wondered what happened to you.” He laughs in amusement. He wagged a finger at me as his chuckles died down. He knelt down and inched closer to me, a strong hand holding my face roughly. I whimpered a bit in fear as he spoke. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do here, baby doll…” he whispered to me darkly. I grunted as I snatched my face from his grip, huffing to calm myself. He pulled away and narrowed his eyes at me with a small smile. “I looked you up afterwards, y’know. My mistake. I should’ve looked you up beforehand.”

“Careful Rafe, you’re beginning to sound like you’re obsessed with me.” I smirked as I glared at him. He nodded as he laughed to himself, rising to his feet.

“You’ve got  _ quite _ the colorful history, Ms. Spurrs.” He said, pacing in front of me with his hands posed behind his back.

“ _ Really?! _ Whatcha find?” I asked, my voice dripping in sarcastic surprise.

“Well it’s nothing you don’t already know- and correct me if I’m wrong. Abandoned by your father, grew up on the streets- yada yada; Former receptionist at AIM industries until… Well, I’m sure you’re aware of the events that transpired back then.” He continued on with a shit eating grin and I eyed him carefully as he unveiled my history. “Which leads me to your  _ big  _ career moves: Cyberextortion, Cyberwarfare- such a  _ bad _ girl you were, huh? Online harassment- you were a  _ cyber bully _ ?” He chuckled. I smirked and gave a shrug, staring him straight into his eyes.

“Bitch owed me money and tried to skip out on payment. Made his social life a living hell.” I said. He leaned in towards me.

“Just between us, what did you do?” He asked.

“Leaked his embarrassing nudes.” I said simply. He gave an amused dark chuckle. “I also had proof that he was a local pedophile. I told him I wouldn't go to the authorities if he paid up.” I grinned devilishly. “Of course I still gave him up.”

He stood up and clapped dramatically. “And yet she’s such a hero.” He said before his wide open palm came in contact with my cheek, busting my lip a bit. I groaned and spat out a bit of blood at his Gucci climbing boots as I looked up at him. “ _ And now _ , she’s a stripper. Barely making minimum wage- barely supporting herself! The only way you could afford to keep living was by working alongside a  _ washed up journalist _ , a  _ senile _ old man, and a couple of  _ two bit thieves _ .” His words cut into me like a knife as he looked me in the eyes. I glared at him, trying my best to keep my anger in control.

“ _ Eat shit, Adler _ —”

“Y’know what hurts the most, Sunny? I actually really liked you. I saw myself with you for a moment… Here I thought I’d found this unbelievable woman. Smart, gorgeous, funny… I was even willing to accept your  _ stupid _ hillbilly hick accent.” He paced back and forth before me as he pulled on his gun, a black and silver custom glock weighing in his hand loosely. “But when  _ that _ fell through, I figured maybe I just wanted a good lay. And  _ then  _ I find out… that you’re my competitor… and working with Nathan Drake no less!”

“You hold petty grudges like a teenage girl- has anyone ever told you that?” I quipped rather quickly. He laughed before lowering his voice.

“You’re funny. But all that  _ bon mot _ isn’t gonna help you if I don’t get what I want, Ms. Spurrs.” He said to me before pushing the gun into my temple. “So where is it, Sunny?”

“What is ‘it’, Rafe-” Before I could even finish my question, he struck me again. He held my face in his hands again as he spoke.

“Where’s Libertalia?” He rephrased.

“What makes you think I know?” I retorted. He gave an exacerbated sigh as he pulled back on the safety of his gun with a click. I let out a shaky whimper as my eyes closed and he put the gun to my temple again.

“Cut the bullshit, Sunny. Where is it?” He asked me again, slowly. My hands began to shake.

“I don’t know.” I answered, almost immediately. “E-Even if I did know, I wouldn’t be able to tell you how to get there. Navigation is Nathan’s gig. He’s like Indiana Jones and I’m like a… southern, black…. much more attractive version of MacGyver, ya see.” I laughed nervously.

“So what you’re saying is that you’re absolutely  _ useless _ to me and there’s no reason for you to keep breathing my air?” He asked darkly as he stood up again, his finger gently brushing the trigger. I was sweating bullets now. My lips quivered as I stared down the barrel of his gun. I had to keep myself alive. And unfortunately that meant giving away a bit of information. I remembered where the brothers had run off and figured that was a place to start. I hoped they had made it far enough into Libertalia by now. Even so, I’d try to stall them as best as I could. ‘ _ Which means taking the long ways… _ ’ I thought. I sighed before speaking.

“I… can take you part of the way… There’s a jungle path near the site we just left and I could’ve  _ sworn _ I had seen Avery’s sigil on the wall right next to it….” I said, wincing at the pain surrounding my lip.

“Good. That’s a start. You can lead us there but  _ don’t  _ try anything stupid. My team will have you dead before you even breathe your next breath. Got that, babydoll?” He growled. I flared my nostrils as I boldly stared into his eyes.

“ _ Yeah… _ I got it.” I hissed, my body shaking as multiple emotions coursed through me. A disturbingly handsome smile crept across his lips as he stood.

“Fantastic.” He said as he tucked his gun away and pulled a knife from his pocket. With a single swipe, he cut me free from the zip ties and I frowned as I massaged my now bruised wrists. “I look forward to our partnership, Sunny.”


	17. Chapter 17

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

“I swear to god it’s this way!” I yelled as Rafe raised his gun at me. We’d been traveling for an hour just about and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could give them the runaround. We’d climbed a lot of rocks, stumbled aimlessly through the jungle, all beneath the beating morning sun. To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure which direction they took. We stood now at the cliffs where I last saw the brothers and looked around me worriedly. ‘ _ Maybe they climbed more rocks that way…. or maybe—’ _ I was pulled from my thoughts as Rafe grabbed a handful of my hair and shoved me face first against the vine covered wall. I cried out as he pressed the gun to my head again.

“I’m beginning to think that you don’t value your life—” He seethed in aggravation. I raised my hands helplessly as I tried to come up with something.

“No I do, I do! I just… I…” My plea began to fade as I noticed something right next to my face peeking between the vines. “If you could ease that piece off the back of my head, I think I mighta just found somethin’…” I said. He narrowed his eyes at me and huffed before backing away from me, his gun still pointed in my direction. I took a deep breath as I pulled apart the vines before me and sure enough, painted in what seemed like old blood was Avery’s sigil with an arrow pointing to the jungle path. “Here… this was where I saw them last- right here.” I grinned. 

“Nadine, be a dear and take a quick look for me. Let’s see if our little redneck Princess is telling the truth.” He ordered with insult. I looked back at Rafe with a light snarl as Nadine shoved her way through the small crowd of mercenaries to peek into the jungle. 

“Orca, Knot- with me.” She said, cocking her gun and the two mercenaries did the same as they followed her into the jungle.

“For your sake, I hope they find something.” Rafe commented unnecessarily. I rolled my eyes and placed my hands on my hips tiredly. I thought maybe I could get to him a little bit now that he was somewhat alone. With a confident sigh, I leaned into the wall.

“I’m sorry about leavin’ you at the auction. For what it’s worth, I had a great time—”

“Shut it—”

“But I mean it!” I smirked as I very slowly eased my way over to him. The soldiers around him began to raise their guns at me but Rafe raised a hand to halt them and let me run my hands down his stomach for a moment. “I mean…. imagine if we actually got the chance to  _ finish _ the night…” I moaned to him with a Cheshire smile. I let my fingers hook into the front of his belt and my hips sway a bit as I spoke. His ears turned a faint shade of pink as he looked at me. ‘ _ Now you have him… _ ’ I thought to myself. He leaned into me as he whispered to me, looking into my eyes with that soft boyish expression from when we first met.

“Yeah, it would’ve been fantastic…” he said in a rather innocent tone before I heard the click of the gun near my head. I sighed as the darkness returned to his eyes. “Not that you’d ever know.” He said with a small smirk before stepping away from me with his gun still pointed. “ _ You’re goood. _ Had we been on the same side, I’d almost fall for it. Matter of fact, outta the  _ kindness… _ of my heart, I’m willing to give you a chance.” He said simply as he lowered his gun and approached me. He wasn’t very tall but he towered over me the same as any man normally would. I chewed the inside of my cheek and looked up at him boldly. His green eyes seemed to search my face with just a sliver of hope.

“Join me. I’ll make sure you’re well compensated, armed to the teeth, and you’ll get a decent cut of the treasure we find here today. You’d also be working rather closely with me…” he began but I wasn’t sure what he was getting at. Was he offering me a job or a chance to choose him? “I take good care of my team, Sunny. And I could take care of you, too...” He said to me in a tone that was very out of character for him. I smiled at him before inching closer. My voice changed into something deep and hateful as my brows furrowed.

“I’d rather eat a bowl of chitlins that’s been sittin’ in the sun for  _ weeks _ —” I snapped before the back of his hand came in contact with my face. I squealed as I held it under the pressure of my fingers, shaking.

“You  _ will _ … show me some form of respect.” He stated firmly as he looked down at me. Just as I looked up, Nadine had returned from her brief scout into the jungle with a bright smile on her face.

“Rafe. She was right.” She said and a faint splash of relief hit me. His eyebrows raised as he looked at me.

“Pity we  _ aren’t _ on the same side. I’d be congratulating you.” He commented as I continued to massage my jaw.

“Why? I wasn’t the first to find it.” I frowned.

“If we get to this treasure first, no one will have to know that.” He said before grabbing my elbow and forcing me to my feet before pushing me towards the jungle. “Walk.” He ordered me as he glanced at Nadine. “I want teams covering all borders and exits. Make it  _ very _ hard for them to leave. I’ve got a bone to pick with those two.”

We walked for a few minutes, following Nadine until the trees and vines had become eroded houses. We were barely touching the outskirts of the colony. I gasped, looking around as we had come to a thick brush. She pulled apart the plants to reveal a massive untouched city. Some of the buildings were barely holding up but others were still standing with minor damage. The way the fog touched the tops of the moss covered buildings ahead made it all seem so dreamlike. I could only imagine the looks on the brothers’ faces. The look on Sam’s face... “ _ Libertalia… _ ” I murmured to myself. I couldn’t believe I was actually here. All this time and I was finally laying eyes on the lost pirate colony. I let my mind imagine civilian pirate families walking to the local market, men running the taverns, gambling in the streets, doing whatever pirates did back then. People were walking the same path I was on  _ hundreds  _ of years ago. I chuckled as I realized some of Sam’s enthusiasm for pirate history rubbed off on me. I watched as Nadine and her team stepped out first.

“Shall we?” Rafe gestured as he drew back the plants for me and I stepped through cautiously.

“So now what? I gotcha here to Libertalia. I dunno where Avery’s treasure is hidden. I didn’t catch the details…” I said as he came in after me, his eyes taking in the wonder of the lost pirate colony.

“You, my dear, are now leverage. They won’t get in our way if we have you. I’ll make goddamn sure of that.” He replied, admiring the scenery with a smirk.

“It won’t work…” I mumbled.

“Come again?” He asked, sharply snapping his gaze towards me. I didn’t mean for it to actually come out of my mouth but he had already heard me. So I ran with it...

“It. Won’t. Work.  _ Bitch boy _ .” I said, audaciously. He narrowed his eyes before stalking toward me slowly.

“And why the hell not?” He growled, calling my bluff. I scrambled for a reasonable answer up until I realized I had stuck my foot in it. 

“Because! Because…. Ummm……” I crossed my arms and bit my lip hard, avoiding his rather harrowing gaze. When I couldn’t answer, he leaned forward and whispered low enough for the two of us to hear. His green eyes darkened as he held my gaze, strongly. “I am  _ this _ close to just putting a bullet in that pretty head of yours enough as it is.  _ Don’t. Push it. _ ” He said. I stared at him, flaring my nostrils. I didn’t dare flinch in his sight. “Restrain Ms. Spurrs, please. Find somewhere to keep her until we get a camp set up.” With that, he walked away to explore a bit. One of the mercenaries grabbed my arm and his comrade tied my wrists together again. I grunted and rolled my eyes as the men led me away to the nearby stocks. 

  
  


I sat for a while. Humming a few tunes, looking at the Henry Avery statue that towered before me. From the corner of my eye I could see a plane swipe across the sky. I glanced at the guard to make sure he wasn’t paying attention before looking at it again. I knew that plane. It was Sully’s plane. I knew it wasn’t coming for me but still I felt a sense of relief. I began to feel a surge of confidence and a need to cure my boredom until I could get out from under Rafe. If I ever got out. I began banging my knees together and swaying my head from side to side, twisting my lips as I came up with something to say. I looked at the guard that leaned against Avery’s statue and nodded at him.

“Yo,” I called to him. He lifted his sunglasses and furrowed his brows at me. “I’m thinking of a synonym for an alcoholic beverage.” He scoffed and put his shades down again before staring off at the scenery again. I sucked my teeth and whined. “Oh  _ c’mon! _ It’s been like an hour and a half! I’m starvin’, my ass hurts sittin’ on this cobblestone, I kinda gotta pee, my arms are sore, and I’m bored out of my everlovin’ mind! Humor me for a few.” I begged. He scoffed and shook his head.

“For an alcoholic beverage, you said?” He asked with the same strange accent as Nadine. I made it a point to ask about it at some point as I nodded with a small smile. “Brew.” I hissed and made a face at him.

“Nope.”

“Alky?”

“Mmm…. think big words.”

“.... libation?”

“That’s a  _ really  _ good guess but nah!” I smirked as I watched him scratch his beard in thought.

“I’m stumped. What’s the answer?”

“ _ Inebriant. _ ” I grinned. And he flexed his lip nodding his head. “Your turn! Think of a synonym and I’ll guess it!” I watched as he rattled his brain, tapping his fingers on the hilt of his gun.

“How about ‘annoying’?” He said with sarcasm. I truly sat and pondered answers though.

“Vexing, tiresome, bothersome, irksome, inconvenient,  _ plaguy _ …. punchable?!” I listed off several words before he’d had enough.

“All of those things are what you are right now.” He told me. I pouted dramatically.

“Now that’s just rude—” I began when I heard a loud bang and several gunshots in the distance. The guard raised his gun and searched around before pressing his finger into his ear comm. He nodded repeatedly as he listened to what he was being told. I leaned in like an idiot, trying to hear what was being said before he gave a “yes sir, on my way.” He walked toward me suddenly and grabbed me by the arm, lifting me to my feet. “Hey bud, you mind tellin’ me where we’re goin’?” I asked with a nervous laugh.

“Boss man needs you with him.” He told me briefly. My heart sped up its pace at the mention of Rafe.

“What does he want with me?” I asked with a bit of panic. I hadn’t given much thought to what would happen next. When he didn’t answer me, my breathing became staggered.

He took me quite a distance around the city, the sound of explosions being heard the closer we got to our destination. He took me through a cave in the mountain that one of the buildings sat on. It was dark and damp, lit up with site lamps and mercenaries were posted throughout the tunnel until we reached what I could only assume was the new camp Rafe set up. There were crates and maps spread all over the place. A laptop sitting next to all the tools and artillery. A beautiful view of Libertalia could be seen from the opening that displayed a sunlit cliff. There was a lot of racket going on above us and dust fell every time a bomb sounded. My brows knitted together as the guard pushed me towards Rafe and I fell to my knees. Another explosive went off and the entire cave rumbled, bits of rock falling around us. Rafe rolled his eyes as a bit of dust sprinkled onto his black tee shirt clad shoulder. He brushed it off in annoyance before walking towards me.

“What’s happening?!” I yelled above the noise.

“If it’s this noisy usually it means either we’ve found something or someone’s making trouble.” The noise settled after a few seconds and all I could hear was the building creaking and cracking above the cave, pieces of wood crashed on the mossy stone cliff. “Considering I didn’t get a call about any new artifacts, I’m assuming it’s your laughable excuse for friends. But don’t worry. Nadine will make short work of them and then I can resume my search—”

“You underestimate just how good they are, Rafe. And  _ that’s _ where you’re gonna fuck up.” I snapped, staring him in the eyes. He balled up his fists like a child again.

“I hope she kills them both.” He retorted with a smize. I took a deep breath, choosing to believe that the universe wouldn’t let that happen and that by the grace of God—

“Ah!  _ Shit… _ ” I heard a voice grunt as three bodies fell to the ground on the cliff outside of the cave. I gasped when I noticed two of those bodies belonged to Nathan and Sam. Nadine had fallen across from them and her gun slid an equal distance from the three. Nathan tried his best to race to the gun but Nadine brought a strong kick to his ribcage. Sam and Nadine both leapt for the gun but Sam got to it first, raising it as they stood. “You’re fast… but you’re not that fast.” He said, aiming the gun right at her head. Nathan rose to his feet, clutching his side as Nadine stared down the barrel of the gun.

“Sam, just leave her! We gotta go now—” He said as he tried to approach his armed brother.

“Let’s go. Time for you to be useful.” Rafe said to me as he grabbed me by the arm hard enough to leave a bruise. He and a handful of mercenaries ran out to the cliff to stop them. In a panic, I watched as Sam grabbed Nadine, holding her hostage in his robust arms, pressing the gun to her temple as she raised her hands helplessly. He was an entire head and shoulders above her and his arms were the size of her head so it was definitely difficult to free herself. She pursed her lips and tightened her face as the gun dug into her temple. ‘ _He wouldn’t really… Would he?_ _Not like this…_ ’ I thought as the mercenaries filed out before us, pointing their guns at them.

“Woah, woah, woah- let’s just…. everybody calm down. We can talk this out—” Nathan started but Sam’s sense of survival was too heightened at the moment to notice his brother’s attempt to keep them alive. He was being reckless again.

“Everybody put their guns down! All of you!  _ Now! _ ” Sam roared. I’d never heard him speak in this tone before. The look on his face was something neurotic. Rafe just laughed.

“No.” He said simply.

“Rafe, watch it! This guy’s on edge—” Nadine grunted as she tried not to move against the gun.

“Oh don’t worry, Nadine, these guys don’t kill anyone in cold blood. It’s just not their style.” Rafe said a little too calmly as he appeared from the cave with his hand still gripping my arm.

“You willin’ to bet her life on that?” Sam growled, having not noticed me yet. Rafe smirked before bringing me into the light.

“Are you willing to bet her's?” He said, roughly shoving me to the ground before them. The moment Nathan’s eyes met mine, I began to burst into tears. Sam’s face paled as he saw me crawling on the ground towards them. Nathan pulled his knife and immediately cut me loose. I could hear Rafe’s gun clicking as I hugged him tightly. When I turned to look at Rafe, he was pointing the gun dead at me. “Go ahead. Shoot her.” He egged him on as he adjusted his aim to perfection.

“You kill me- you, Sunny, your brother- you’ll  _ all  _ die—” Nadine bargained but Sam was too fidgety and paranoid to hear it.

“You shut your mouth—” He grumbled anxiously to her as he shoved the gun into her head again. Rafe and the mercenaries began to close in on us slowly. 

“Sam…” I murmured. This wasn’t him. It couldn’t be.

“Not another step!” He shouted. Rafe gave a sinister smile.

“You mean  _ like this? _ ” He teased, taking another step forward. He was enjoying this. There was no length Rafe wouldn’t go to make him snap. Sam growled as he let his finger ghost over the trigger.

“Sam, put the gun down!” Nathan pleaded but his brother still ignored him.

“I warned you…” Sam said darkly.

“DO IT!” Rafe snapped, trying to call his bluff.

“Sammy, no!” I shouted as Nathan leapt at him. My hands covered my mouth as a single shot fired. He managed to pull the gun from her head and out of his hand just in time, releasing Nadine from Sam’s grip as he gut checked him. He raised the gun, hanging it loosely on his fingers to show surrender. To show peace.

“It’s fine! It’s okay!” He said, tossing the gun towards Nadine. “It’s done… see?” Nadine stared at him leeringly, her eyes never leaving him as she picked up her gun. She gave Rafe an angry expression.

“ _ ‘Don’t worry, Nadine. It’s not their style.’ _ ” She hissed at him as she walked over to the enemy line. Rafe shrugged.

“What can I say? I didn’t think he had it in him—” he chuckled but Sam curled his fingers into a strong fist and snarled.

“You don’t know what I got.” He said roughly. Rafe chuckled as he walked over to him and did something I never expected. He brushed the dirt off of his shoulders and patted his chest with a smile.

“Samuel, you alright?” He asked with derision. Sam avoided his gaze and Rafe snickered as a darkness clouded his eyes. “I mean… I guess you knew this day was coming, right?” He snarled before taking the hilt of his gun and striking it across his face causing the larger man to fall before him.

“Rafe, stop it!” I exclaimed, lunging towards him but Nathan put an arm in front of me to keep me back.

“Hey!  _ Take it easy! _ You already got us…” Nathan pleaded as Rafe raised the gun at him a moment. I was shaking, watching Sam holding his nose as he crawled on the ground. This simple treasure hunt had turned out to be something much more dangerous. People had tried to kill me before but this was something different. “You’re a businessman, right? Let’s make a deal.”

“Oh! Oh yeah, a deal? Love to hear what you have in mind!” He snapped, kicking Sam in the side harshly. He cried out, clutching his side in pain as he laid in the dirt, attempting to get up a second time. “You go ahead. I’m listening.” He said pacing slowly in front of us. I cautiously ran to Sam’s side and he groaned as I lifted his head in my lap.

“Are you okay?” I asked him, pushing his hair off of his face.

“What are you doin’ here, Sunny?” He grumbled. I chuckled nervously for a moment.

“Whaddya think, asshole? You know I never listen.” I said sweetly, a single tear falling from my eye. He sighed tiredly as he tried to catch his breath.

“I wish you had for once…” he mumbled, his expression giving me a moment of a certain hidden softness but I caught it. I looked at Nathan as he tried to negotiate with the enemy, helping Sam up as I did. Nathan reached out to pull me beside him protectively as he spoke.

“We’ll help you find Avery’s treasure.” He said.

“And in exchange, I let you live?” Rafe asked as he peered at us from the tip of his structured nose.

“Yeah…” Nathan breathed. “That and a small cut.” Rafe just laughed heartily as he looked at his crew before bringing his gaze to us.

“The gauchos on this guy, huh?” He snickered to his team, gesturing to him.

“ _ Just  _ enough to buy him his freedom.” I added, stepping up. Rafe stares at me a moment in confusion.

“His freedom?” He asked. I nodded vigorously but Sam put a hand on my wrist carefully.

“Sunny…” he whispered roughly. Nathan held his hand up to Sam to quiet him so he could agree with me vocally.

“Yeah. He did some hard time-  _ our _ time. And the guy who broke him out, Hector Alcázar? He owes him a lotta money.” He told him. Rafe waved his hands about and shook his head.

“Woah, woah- what the hell are you talking about? Hector Alcázar died in a shootout in Argentina like… six months ago.” He chuckled before gesturing to himself. “I’m the one who got Samuel out.” My heart seemed to cease beating for a couple of seconds as a swarm of butterflies crowded my nerves. I knitted my brows together and stared at him.

“Excuse me…” I reacted with annoyance, snatching my wrist away from him. A wave of awkwardness crashed over us as Nate and I looked at his brother. Sam couldn’t even bring himself to look either of us in the eye. He kept his gaze fixed on the cracked dirt beneath our feet. Rafe gave a silent chuckle as he looked at us all like he was in an arena.

“ _ Oooohhh _ ….” he snickered. “What did he tell you- Sam, what kinda story did you cook up?” He asked in amusement as he approached him. Sam wiped a bit of blood from his forehead with a defeated sigh. “You  _ lied? _ To this lovely woman and your own baby brother—”

“We’re wasting time!” Nadine shouted.

“Just a  _ second _ .” Rafe snapped, giving her a hard side eye. He turned to us to enlighten us with the truth of the situation. “You see, I never  _ stopped  _ looking for the treasure. I just kept running into these dead ends, y’know? And then I hear our dear ol’ Samuel Drake- an authority on Avery- is alive and...somewhat well.” He said. Sam kept his eyes on the ground in shame as he spoke. I only grew angrier as he explained, my lips curling into a snarl as I stared at him. “There was  _ no breakout _ . I bribed the warden and your brother just waltzed right out the front gate.” He took a few steps towards Nathan, absolutely loving the internal pain he was causing. “Your brother spent the last  _ two years _ looking for that second St. Dismas cross and you know what? He did it all with me.” He smirked. Nathan shook his head as he looked at him, completely heartbroken.

“Nah… No that’s bullshit—” Nate growled and Rafe just chuckled. 

“Sam? You care to refute?!” He asked as Sam continued to wipe the leaking blood from his nose and forehead. I took several steps away from Sam as he brought his gaze to me. If he lied about this, who knows what else he lied about.

“Sunny… I—” Sam whispered to me again as he stepped forward, trying to grab my hand but I snatched it away.

“Don’t touch me…” The words left my mouth before I could even think as I hugged myself. He took another step towards me apologizing but I avoided his touch.

“ _ Sunny, I’m sorry— _ ”

“Mm mm.” I hummed, shaking my head as my nostrils flared. Sam’s eyes dropped as he sighed in panic before looking at his brother. The one he hurt the most. He took a deep breath before trying to make his case.

“Nathan—”

“No…” I could see the hurt in my best friend’s eyes as he looked at his older brother like a confused child. His baby blue eyes would always tell me what he was thinking. “No you didn’t…”

“Nathan, that treasure was ours-  _ it was always ours— _ ” Sam said, approaching to place his hands on his shoulders but Nathan shoved him off.

“I left my life for you!” He snapped. “I….” He was so angry, he didn’t even have the words. Rafe laughed devilishly in amusement at the rift he drove between us all as he clapped like a seal, witnessing the drama unfold. 

“Well look, if it’s any consolation, he duped me too. He pulled a Houdini, he brought  _ you _ , he brought this slut, and he brought that old man back into the mix and I cannot lie, Sam, that  _ really...  _ pissed me off. But uh… it’s all behind us now.” He smirked. Sam’s face displayed nothing but fury and hatred for this man as he took a few steps toward him.

“You don’t deserve it…” he told him roughly. Rafe stared at him incredulously.

“And you do? Last I checked, we were all a bunch of thieves digging around where we shouldn’t…” he said as Nadine approached him.

“Rafe.” She started.

“What?” Rafe asked, snapping out of his petty instigation.

“One way or another, end it. Or I will.” She growled. Rafe nodded before stepping in front of Sam.

“Welp, you heard the lady—” He said , placing the gun directly on Sam’s forehead. A flash of panic ensued in me. I was pissed at him but that didn’t mean I wanted him dead. Nathan grabbed his brother’s arm as I jumped in front of him, bravely.

“Sunny!” Sam snapped.

“You miss one clue and you can kiss that treasure goodbye…” I said to him.

“She’s right, y’know? You said it yourself- you keep running into dead ends. Face it. You need us. All of us.” Nathan said as he walked to my side. Rafe shrugged with a hum.

“I guess you’re right…. you’re half right. I just need Sam.” He said darkly, pointing the gun at Nathan instead.

“No—” I growled as tears began to fearfully well up. Sam rushed to Nathan’s defense as his finger began to squeeze the trigger.

“Rafe, you’re makin’ a mistake!” He shouted. Rafe had already pulled the trigger, narrowly missing his target and grazing Sam’s arm instead. As he reacted to the pain, he accidentally bumped into Nathan, not realizing how close his brother was to the edge of the cliff, causing him to fall a great distance. My heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest as I screamed out for my best friend; Sam screaming out for his little brother. I saw him hit his head on a smaller cliff on the way down and we were so high up that there was no way of telling if he would even make it alive. I cried out as hot tears streamed down my cheeks and the sound of Rafe’s gun clicked once more. We both turned to look at him, still feeling raw from the fact that we might’ve lost Nathan. His gun was now pointed at me. Sam rushed in front of me, his arm protectively covering my stomach as he gently pulled me behind him.

“Hey! You keep that gun on me. She has nothin’ to do with any of this— _ Rafe! _ ” Sam snapped as he tried readjusting his aim to me. But Rafe narrowed his eyes at him as he watched him shield my body with his own, looking between the two of us. “You don’t have to do this, man…” The gun began to drop as a chuckle filled his belly again.

“ _ Oh! I see _ what’s happening here. Sunny, I have to tell you. Your taste in men? It’s questionable.” He whispered to me like a jealous ex.

“And if I chose you, it’d still be questionable.” I seethed, my shaky fingers gripping tightly to the back of Sam’s dirty blue collared shirt, his hand keeping me close to his sweaty back. Rafe smirked as he turned to face his mercenaries.

“Grab her.” He said, simply and they came after me just as he ordered. Sam turned us to back away from them and to keep them from getting to me, swinging a fist to the jaw of one man, leaving me wide open to be snatched up by another man.

“Get your dirty hands off her!” He snapped, lunging at the man before Nadine approached and struck him in the back of his head with the hilt of her gun causing him to fall to his knees as I was being pulled away. She kept her gun on him in case he tried anything else. I stomped my heel on the man’s foot and he let go of me for a moment. With my opportunity, I elbowed him in the nose and knee him in the gut. Just as I went to attack another, I was met with several barrels of many guns. Mostly Rafe’s, whose barrel pressed directly between my eyes, still warm from the previous shot. I raised my hands in surrender. There was nothing else I could do.

“So here’s the deal Sam. You help me get to this treasure and I won’t put a bullet in your pretty little girlfriend’s head. Sound fair? I think it’s fair.” He said to him sternly. Sam just huffed and nodded compliantly, wiping the blood off his face again. “Good. Let’s get going then. Shall we?” He said. “And somebody get him cleaned up. He looks a mess.” With that, Nadine grabbed Sam by the collar and forced him to his feet, keeping her gun on him at all times.

“ _ Move _ .” She barked, shoving the gun in his back. He kept his hands up as he moved forward to follow Rafe and I, looking me in the face with a look I couldn’t bear to see at the moment. I was sad, I was hurt, I was livid. And I had a valid reason for all of these things. As the mercenaries zip tied my wrists together again, I turned my head to look at Sam with a snarl.

“You better pray to God that Nathan’s not dead.” I grumbled with a bit of resentment.

“You and me both, sweetheart…” he replied as they zip tied his wrists as well and led us to a room for holding until they could pack up around Libertalia.


	18. Chapter 18

**_Sam’s POV_ **

When we got back to the outskirts of Libertalia, the guards kept us locked in a cell together. The same cells they used to lock up misfit pirates. The tension in the small, dank space was gut wrenching. I sat in a corner, my knee bouncing up and down fretfully as I watched Sunny in my peripheral, pacing before me. I looked at her with my face contorted into something nervous. The fact that I possibly got my brother killed over a long old obsession weighed heavily on me. And I never meant for him to get hurt. Or Sunny… ‘ _ Oh...Sunny… _ ’ I thought, knowing I absolutely fucked up. If she was upset before, she surely hated me now. I picked at the dried skin on my lip until it bled, thinking of anything I could say to her. Anything to make it better. “You weren’t supposed to be here.” was all that left my lips. Sunny stopped in her tracks almost immediately, whipping her head around to face me. The crazy in her eyes when she looked at me hurt a little. 

“ _ Excuse me?... _ ” She scowled. 

“I asked you to go home with Elena! I figured my leaving without you was a good enough incentive for you to quit—”

“I WORKED  _ JUST  _ AS HARD AS YOU AND NATE! I PULLED MY WEIGHT, DAMMIT, I BUSTED MY  _ ASS _ TO BE HERE, SAM! I BUSTED MY ASS FOR  _ YOU! _ ” She screamed at me, cutting me off. Her big baby eyes were swelling with tears, her lips trembling a little as a single tear fell. I’d done it. I always did it. I just didn’t mean to do it to her. My shoulders slouched as she yelled at me. I deserved every second of it. Hell, I’d say it was well earned.

“Sunny, I—”

“There’s nothin’ you can say to me that’ll make me hate you less right now.  _ You left without me. _ You  _ knew  _ what this meant to me and you…. And now Nathan’s gone, I just…” she started panicking and raking her fingers through her dark curls. She was at a loss for words. 

“We don’t know that, Sunny.” I mumbled. I wanted to believe that he was okay but with how he fell…

“Samuel Drake, if Nathan doesn’t come back from this, so help me God...”

“I kno—”

“You’re  _ so selfish! _ You lied to everybody and you knew what we all put in the line for you-  _ what Nate put on the line for you! _ You don’t give a damn about anybody but yourself and you didn’t give a  _ damn  _ about your brother—” The moment she spoke on my feelings, I felt a fire burn in me. I huffed and puffed as her words dug deeper into me.

“ _ Now you wait just a goddamn minute— _ ” I snapped, raising my voice defensively. She wasn’t scared of me though. Not even a little bit. She inched closer, fixing her mouth to say something when the guard yelled at us.

“AYE! Quiet down in there!” The guard said, rapping his handgun against the rusty bars that held us captive. A moment of silence crashed over us both as he walked away and I stood to approach her as if she were a sleeping bear. I put a hand on her elbow and she pulled away from me. I hung my head with a sigh. She was right. I’d been reckless.

“Sunny…” I croaked. I wanted so badly to make things up with her if anything. “Everything just got so messed up- I… I just… I mean we were  _ so close _ , Sun—”

“ _ You lied, Sam. _ ” She couldn’t stress that enough and I took it on the chin like a man. “You lied to your brother, you lied to Sully, and you lied to me. I don’t even know who… Was  _ anything  _ you told me the truth?” She asked, turning to look at me with devastation in her brown eyes. She searched my face for any sign of honesty. I was willing to give it to her. I had already lied to her so much. If I wanted any chance of keeping her around, I needed to come clean. I took my finger and pushed a singular curl off of her forehead, staring at her with vulnerability.

“I  _ never  _ once lied to you, Sunny. The  _ only _ thing I lied about - and I do mean the  _ only _ thing - was the breakout. That’s it.” I said, treading lightly with my words. I knew by now that there was no use in fighting with her. She’d only shoot me down in a heartbeat. “How you make me feel isn’t somethin’ I can just fake… As for Nathan…” I took a second to calm the sudden panic as my voice cracked a little. “I can’t forgive myself if anything happens to him… I…” I tried to find the words but explain all the emotions I was feeling but they just weren’t coming out right. I felt my eyes start to burn, thinking about the safety of my little brother as tears threatened to fall. I sniffled and pinched them away stressfully. I was tired of fighting with her. She sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly before looking out at the lock the guard put on the door then back at me.

“We need to start workin’ on gettin’ outta here.” She whispered to me.

“They took all our gear, Sunny. How in the hell are we gettin’ out?” I sighed. With the way things were going, I honestly wanted to just quit and she picked up on that. An annoyed but supportive expression played on her face as she placed her hands on her hips. She spoke softly but firmly to me.

“Stop that shit, Sam.” She sang.

“Stop what—”

“That ‘oh my god it’s hard and now people are mad at me’ shit. That shit...right there.” She said pointing at my face. It wasn’t very articulate but I got it and I frowned with a defeated sigh, shaking my head. “ _After_ _all this?_ After all you’ve done here? You, sir, don’t get to do that ‘I quit’ bullshit. Man the fuck up and get it done. Now… let’s go get our treasure.” She told me boldly. Something about the way she spoke to me struck a chord in my chest and I looked up at the small beacon of hope before me. She meant every word. A small smile threatened to pull on my lips as a bit of adrenaline started to surge.

“Yes ma’am.” I said as I approached her to press a kiss onto her lips but she put a firm hand against my face, mushing me and pushing me away.

“Nah- you’re on punishment. I’m still mad at you so I’m not kissin’ you right now.” She told me in a stale tone with a faint grin of her own. I smirked as I leaned against the cell wall.

“For how long?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Until I say so.” She said simply with a cute little shrug.

“I can wait.” I grinned, throwing a wink her way. She rolled her eyes and pulled a hair pin from her curls.

“I need you to take out the guard as soon as I unlock this door, got it?” She ordered and I readied myself with a nod, bouncing on my tip toes and loosening my limbs.

“Ready when you are, sweetheart…” I smiled as I rolled my shoulders back. 

I watched her pick the lock carefully and quietly so as to not alert the guard. I heard the click from the lock as she successfully freed us and slowly unwrapped the chains from the door and wrapping them around her fist. She looked back at me as if to ask if I was ready and I cracked my neck, nodding. As soon as she opened the door, I eased my way out and snuck up behind the shorter man, wrapping my thick arms around his neck and squeezed tightly until his body grew heavy in my arms. “Shh…” I whispered, patting his head as I put him to sleep and dropped his body nonchalantly. Sunny left the cell as soon as he was down and we began to pat him down and divvy his weapons. I took the handgun and let her have the big gun. ‘ _ She’s so sexy with her big guns… _ ’ I thought, admiring the shape of her body as her posture straightened, looking into the scope and checking her ammunition. I bit my lip as I checked my own ammo clip and approached her. “Be careful with that thing, sweetheart.” I smirked and she rolled her eyes before hiding behind Avery’s statue. I began to scan the area to see where the soldiers were posted.

“How many?” Sunny asked.

“I count 15. At least what I can see from here.” I winced as the both of us began to look around.

“We need a better vantage point. I dunno about you but I’m not tryna get all shot up.” She said before glancing up to an exposed balcony. I saw the shoulder of a guard standing up there pacing and smoking a cigarette. I knew that’s where we had to be. 

“Up there!” I whispered to her as I let my eyes scan as much of the building as I could. “It looks like there’s a window around the side. Just gimme a sec to take out this guy.” I said, beginning to crouch my way over to the building.

I climbed the wall, hanging onto the windowsill as I peeked into the opening. The guard was leaning on the wall talking to another guard about how shitty Rafe Adler was. I didn’t count for another guard but what could I really do about it besides handle it? And while I absolutely had to agree with everything both men were saying, they were still in my way and had to be put down. I climbed in with a smirk and snatched the freshly lit cigarette from his hands, placing it between my lips before knocking his lights out. Spooking the other guard by accident, he pulled out his pistol. Before he could even take aim, I grabbed him by the wrist and kneed him in his gut, a clean punch swiping across his lower jaw as I brought him down. I ran to the balcony to call her over as quietly as possible and she snuck over to climb the wall. I reached out for her and helped her up into the building. She gasped at the sight of the second body. “I know. I didn’t expect a second.” I said, puffing the stolen cigarette. 

She raised a brow at me as I did. “You got another one of those?” She asked, pointing to the one between my lips. I shrugged, moving past her to pat down the body of the man I took mine from and found a half pack.

“You’re in luck, sweetheart!” I said, waving the pack about. She reached out for it and I did the most asshole thing a tall person could do to a shorter person. I held it up out of her reach with a smirk.

“Don’t be a dick, Sam. Give it.” She said reaching for it again but I kept it over her head and leaned in towards her.

“I’ll give you one if you let me kiss you.” I bargained slickly. Sunny wasn’t having any of that. She punched me in the gut with her chain wrapped fist just hard enough to make me cough and lower the pack. 

“I’ll kiss you when I feel like kissin’ you.” She whispered in my ear as I leaned against the wall in pain. She snatched it out of my hand and felt up my pockets for my lighter. She took one and lit it before tossing the zippo and pack back to me.

“So you punch me, feel me up for my lighter, then tease me?” I asked as I tucked my lighter away, just checking to make sure this was the woman who caught me by the heartstrings. The smirk she gave me in return answered everything. ‘ _ God yes. _ ’ I thought with a slight snicker as she looked out of the next window.

“I count 8 more men on this side.” She told me as she narrowed her eyes, puffing on her cigarette. I scoffed as I walked over to observe the situation. “Rafe’s guys are crawlin’  _ all over _ this place.” She said, shaking her head and walking to pick the bodies I just dropped for more ammunition.

“You think we can make it outta here?” I asked, picking up the HS39 that laid near one of the bodies and inspecting it quickly.

“Good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise…” she responded, her southern voice strongly accented with a nervous smile and her fingers crossed. My heart flipped from the way she said that. I let the weight of the gun drop my arms and a hopeful smile spread over my lips as I stared at her. She narrowed her eyes at me.

“What?” She asked suspiciously.

“Are you sure I can’t kiss you?” I asked rather softly, looking at her in wonder. A faint shade of red covered her cheeks as she fought off a smile and took a deep breath.

“I say… we power through. Get rid of as many as we can and then stealth our way out.” She said recklessly. I tuned up my face and winced. That plan had “death” written all over it.

“I uh… I don’t know about that, sweethea—” Just as I went to debate her plan, we heard the voices of two guards. I dropped down to lay on my stomach so no one would see me as we peeked over the balcony.

“What the hell?! They’re gone! Shit. Rafe’s not gonna be happy about this…” I heard him say. We watched him turn to the other men and bark orders. “Search the grounds! They couldn’t have gotten far!” He said, pulling out his walkie talkie to contact who I could only assume was either Rafe or Nadine. Whoever it was didn’t sound too happy.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice. It’s go time.” Sunny told me. She was right. They’d be looking all over for us. We had to do this  _ now. _

“Alright… Sunny…” I said stopping her before she stood. I had to tell her one more time. “In the event that we don’t make it, I just wanna say I’m sor—” Before I could even finish my apology, she grabbed under my chin and pulled my lips to hers, kissing me sweetly. I smiled a little against her soft lips, kissing her back gently as a warmth spread throughout my chest.

“I’m still mad at you but I accept your apology.” She said with a smirk. I smiled widely and cocked my gun.

“Punishment wasn’t as bad as I thought.” I chuckled and she punched me in the arm. 

  
  


The fight through the waves of Shoreline wasn’t easy by any means but we got shit done. As I struck a man down, I could see her blocking someone’s attacks and ducking before delivering an impressive jab to their nose. She sold it with a kick to the chest and that person just didn’t get up. ‘ _ Awesome. _ ’ I thought simply as she looked around. I could hear more boots heading our way and panicked a little. “Sunny, we got more company!” I shouted to her and she grabbed my hand dragging me towards a thicket of tall plants. 

“We came into Libertalia this way!” She said but I stopped her. We were out and free now. We could keep going. We could get a head start on Avery’s treasure again.

“Sweetheart, New Devon is  _ this  _ way!” I told her, pulling her a different direction. She looked at me confused.

“Sorry, you went on a little trip without me so I’m missin’ a few details- what in the  _ fuck _ is New Devon?” She snapped.

“We found the treasury building but it was empty, Sunny. All the portraits of the captains were vandalized with the word ‘thief’ across them. You were right, sweetheart. They betrayed the other pirates and took everything for themselves. They moved it all to New Devon.” I informed her quickly. Sunny shook her head lightly and I could see her processing things as fast as she could. The mercenaries were getting closer and we only had a moment to make a decision. “Sunny, we could finish this—”

“No.” She said, quickly and firmly. She had made her choice.

“But Sunny—”

“Nate is gone and you seriously  _ still  _ wanna look for this shit?! _ No, Sam! _ ” She yelled at me. I was confused for a moment. When on earth did she change her mind?

“You  _ wanted _ to look for it two seconds ago!” I exclaimed.

“ _ Well I change my damn mind! _ ” She snapped. “I did some thinkin’ and it’s not right.”

“You  _ can’t  _ be serious right now?!” I laughed tensely. The look in her eyes however was  _ plenty _ serious. I knew things were different now but we were still so close. But the fact that we even considered it seemed to piss her off even more and I raised my hands defensively.

“Let’s get the hell outta here first and  _ then _ we can talk about this—”

“Sam, there’s nothin’ to talk about- we’re not goin’! Now you can stay here to look for it and work with Rafe all you want to—”

“Sunny, I’m not—”

“ _ —but I want nothin’ to do with it.  _ I could give a rat’s ass about some dead man’s junk…” she said, pushing by me to enter the thicket. I groaned loudly, running my hand down my face and bouncing up and down anxiously before deciding to follow her. In the end, she was right. It would be absolutely inappropriate to keep searching for Avery’s treasure right now in the wake of Nathan’s disappearance. I just couldn’t  _ stand _ the thought of Rafe succeeding at something I’ve sacrificed my entire life for. To have his hands on the thing my late mother worked so tirelessly to find.

As we walked through the jungle, I walked a few paces behind her, just lost in my own selfish thoughts. Sunny suddenly stopped and turned to look at me. She saw the strong disappointment on my face and stroked my cheek with the back of her hand. “Sully used to tell me a thing. ‘Sometimes you gotta know when to pick up the gun and sometimes you gotta know when to put it down…’” she said. “It’s time to put it down, bub.” Her expression faltered as she spoke to me. She was disappointed as well. I know she worked hard and almost died a couple of times for this. Remembering those moments, I felt a bit of regret for having left without her; For making a decision that wasn’t mine to make. She chose this life just like the rest of us. She knew the consequences of it the same as I. It wasn’t fair for me to cut her out and I saw that now. I nodded my head reluctantly in agreement.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked, changing the subject to avoid further depression. We kept walking until the exit near the cliffs where Nate and I stood before came into view.

“There should be a 4x4 still out here. Sully brought Elena and I out here on the plane.” She told me. I was a little shocked.

“Elena? She stayed?” I asked.

“She wasn’t gonna but  _ you left me _ ...” She reiterated, widening her eyes at me with a bit of sass. She was never going to let me forget where I fucked up. “...and Sully wouldn’t let me go after you alone. I asked for her help and she gave it.” She told me.

“Ah… I’m sure I’m leaving her a hell of an impression.” I chuckled lowly and she smiled. In spite of making her grin, her voice stayed serious.

“I’m sure you have.” She agreed. “If something happens to Nate though, you’ll have her to deal with.” ‘ _ Oh yeah… _ ’ I thought with a frown. As we came upon the vines that covered the opening, a bit of relief filled my chest. We were out of Libertalia and on our way to the plane. That was until we parted them and stepped onto the cliff. Waiting for us with several guns pointed was a couple of Shoreline soldiers… and Nadine. 

“Leaving so soon?” She asked sarcastically. Sunny rolled her eyes and stepped forward.

“Nadine, I’m  _ really  _ not in the mood for this shit.” She said, strutting towards her.

“Interesting. Neither am I.” She replied, clicking the safety off and aiming it at her head. “Contrary to the situation at hand, I actually like you, Sunny. That being said, don’t make me shoot you.” Nadine’s words were firm but genuine. Sunny just stepped closer until the barrel of the gun was aimed right between her eyes.

“Unfortunately, I have somewhere to be so if you’re gonna shoot me… fuckin’ do it.” Sunny challenged her, pressing her forehead into the barrel, bravely staring this woman down. Without even blinking, Nadine moved the gun to her shoulder and fired off a shot. My eyes widened and I ran to catch her as she fell over in pain. She was clutching her shoulder as blood gushed from between her fingers, staining her dirty light washed denim shirt. I sat her up to see if the bullet had gone all the way through but it didn’t. It was still lodged in there pretty good. ‘ _ Damn _ ..’ I thought as her face began to pale and a tear fell down her cheek from the pain.

“You’re alright, sweetheart.” I whispered to her, putting pressure on the wound as I looked up at Nadine, the gun still pointed at us.

“The only reason I didn’t kill her is because Rafe needs her alive. You’ll do what we say as long as she’s still breathing.” She told me. I snarled a bit as I looked at her.

“You’re a right piece of work, Nadine Ross.” I said to her and she smirked before turning to her comrades.

“Take their weapons and get this one to a medic.” She said gesturing to Sunny and two soldiers picked her up from my arms and dragged her back into Libertalia. Then she locked eyes with mine. “ _ You _ … you’re coming with me.” She said punching me in the face harshly before grabbing me by the collar and forced me to follow suit. When we hit the town square, Sunny was led one way towards the trucks and 4x4s and I was led the other way towards a building.

When we got inside, Rafe was leaning against a crate waiting for me with a couple of maps. Looking at the smug, arrogant grin on his face made me sick. Nadine pushed me into the room roughly and Rafe just patted me on the shoulder. “Nice try, Samuel. But the only way you two are getting outta here is with a bullet in your skull.” He threatened lightly before clasping his hands together. “Now that we’ve got these fully loaded threats outta way, it’s time to get to work.” He said before gesturing to the array of resources and maps that we didn’t have while exploring King’s Bay ourselves. “Where do we begin?” He asked me. I looked around the room at the handful of soldiers that would soon murder me at the first sign of foul play and sighed in defeat before stepping up to the crate.

“You wanna start checking their homes…” I mumbled, diffidently picking up a permanent marker that sat beside the maps and began to draw out a few markings on the landscape. “Next best bet would be to look here…”


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i really struggled to write this chapter so if it sucks I am soooo sorry lol next chapter will be better, I swear! 💖

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

“You’d better not be lying to me, Samuel! You’ve done enough of that already…” Rafe sneered, pushing Sam off balance a little before pointing his gun at him. He scoffed, gesturing to the building and then to the several guards around us.

“Of course this is it!  _ C’mon, Rafe! _ You think I’m gonna lie to you when you have six literal guns pointed at me?” He asked, throwing just as much backchat as he received.

“Yes.” Rafe replied curtly without missing a beat. “Which is why I’ll ask again…” He cocked his gun and this time aimed it at me. “Are you sure?” He asked slowly. I wasn’t scared in the least bit of this man anymore. He pointed his little “Versace Glock” at me so much I barely cared. He wasn’t going to pull the trigger. I’d be more worried if it was Nadine on the other end of that gun. But to Sam, it was all the same. As long as I was being threatened, they had him under control.

“This is it Rafe.” He answered through his teeth, clenching his fists. He stared at Sam a moment to analyze his face and eventually tucked his gun away.

“Well, after you.” He gestured to the massive door. He nodded at Nadine who was practically my handler. She pushed the gun into my back, shoving me into the eroded abandoned manor behind the two men. 

The place was a gorgeous open floor plan; a bit gaudy and just a tad bit ostentatious but still rather gorgeous. The floors were marbled white with red rugs running all over and the walls decoratively floral; as my eyes gravitated up, gigantic crystal chandeliers hung. Green vines scaled the golden lined walls and covered a few broken rails, making its way across the ceiling to wrap around the light fixtures. There were at least five floors but some of them had broken completely or tilted to the ground like ramps. We stood aside as Nadine ordered a heavy team to walk the grounds. We’d heard some gunfire a few houses back and it was making Rafe anxious. I had a strong feeling though. I could only hope that it was Nathan and that he was okay.

“Blow the door behind you! I don’t want anyone coming in after us, got it?!” Rafe shouted to soldiers as they began to bring in Shoreline crates full of equipment. “Sam, Sunny. Let’s go explore a little, shall we?” He smiled with beautiful arrogance as we walked by him. “Sorry about your shoulder, Sunny. Nadine can be a little…”

“Trigger happy?” Sam answered.

“Psycho as fuck?” I added at a rapid fire pace. Sam glanced at me with a slight chuckle and I smirked.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. It’s just a gunshot. Don’t make me coddle you like a child about it. You’ll live to see another day. Maybe.” Rafe said, rolling his eyes as we climbed a ramp.

We explored many rooms in the manor. What we found so far wasn’t giving us a whole lot of clues but one room in particular… A dining hall. It looked like something out of a horror movie. It was an intimate type of setting and the half broken windows were covered by tattered red curtains from ceiling to floor giving the room a dim lighting. Smack dab in the middle of the room was the real story. A long dining table; pirate skeletons dressed in their best frocks and their hands seemed to be still wrapped around their jewel stoned goblets. Some were face first in their plates, others leaned back into their seats… I shivered in disturbance as we approached the table. “ _ Jesus H… _ It’s the Captains...” I mumbled, taking slow steps. Sam stopped me with a hand over my stomach, knowing I wasn’t comfortable with the scene. I watched with furrowed brows as the two men circled the table.

“They were all killed…” Rafe said as he looked over each body. Sam rolled his eyes.

“No shit, Sherlock.” He muttered.

“So what are we thinkin’? Some sort of pirate suicide cult?” Rafe asked, stupidly. I chuckled as I massaged my sore bicep. He wasn’t even following the story. He just wanted the treasure. Sam bit his lip to fight off a laugh and hung his head. “Is something funny?” He shrugged. I just shook my head rapidly and fixed my face. Sam picked up a piece of paper on the table next to who I could only assume was the Moorish pirate. He read it aloud for us to hear with all the gusto he had, trying to get the most out of the hunt as best as he could in the dire situation. The letter was an invitation addressed to Tariq bin Malik for a communal dinner. I assumed the other captains received one as well. The longer I stared at the table and listened to Sam, the more things began to make sense for me. He picked up two cards from the head of the table, quickly switching the embarrassing attention from Rafe to the scene before us. One card with an image of an arm with a sword and the other of Avery’s famed skull and crossbone. 

“Hey, check this out! All the pirate captains are here except…. these two… Looks like you were right again, sweetheart. Guess you could say they were betrayed times… _ Tew _ .” Sam joked, twirling the Thomas Tew card between his fingers. “Get it? Tew? Two?” He grinned at me. I chuckled and shook my head.

“Very cute…” I snickered. 

“I try.” He smirked. Rafe looked between us with a rankled expression and a scoff.

“Quit flirting and tell me what the hell is goin’ on here!” He snapped aggressively. I jumped a little and approached the table to get a better look.

“Isn’t it obvious? Avery and Tew made off with everything.” I told him. Then I gasped. “That means….” I raced around the table until I found the Pegasus card. “ _ Fuuuck! _ They got my girl Anne Bonny!” I whined. I poked her dead skeleton quickly and frowned. “You deserved better, sis…” Sam just chuckled at me before explaining a bit of history to Rafe.

“So, Rafe, what I’m thinkin’ is that these two sent out the invitations to all the Captains…. poisoned the wine, made this whole spiel about ‘ _ For God and Liberty _ ’ and what not…. Everyone takes a swig of wine—” Sam explained; and I could see the lightbulb go off in Rafe’s head.

“Except Avery and Tew.” He smirked as he scratched at the faint stubble on his chin, slowly piecing it together. “They cut ‘em out… Smart. I gotta say, I admire the strategy.” He chuckled. “So now what?”

“Now we have to figure out where  _ those two _ assholes stashed the treasure.” I groaned as I felt a twinge in my shoulder where I’d been shot. The stitches were tight and uncomfortable as hell. I rolled my shoulder back and sighed. ‘ _ Fuck you for actually shootin’ me, Nadine… _ ’ I thought as I hissed at the pain.

“Well there’s still several rooms here that we haven’t gone through yet. There’s got to be something in this manor…” Rafe said, running his fingers through his hair. 

“ _ And we will find it _ . Right, Sunny?” Sam assured him as he looked at me. I nodded. Rafe just groaned as a few strands of hair began to fall loose from his slicked back style. He was getting impatient now.

As the boys looked around, I wandered around myself, hoping maybe I’d find something (which I most certainly did). I came upon a large set of white doors decorated with fancy gold accents. I pushed the doors open to be met with a skeleton sitting on a couch… just dead. I squealed in disgust until I noticed a piece of dirty parchment in his lap. ‘ _ If Natey were here, he’d wanna read it... _ ’ I thought as I groaned to myself, knowing I had to go get it. I moved very slowly over to it, looking at it as if it might move if I were too fast. Just as I reached out, a massive spider crawled out from its mouth and across its face. I stomped my feet repeatedly in my fitful moment, contorting my face disapprovingly. ‘ _ Ugh, just fuckin’ do it. _ ’ I thought, shaking my hands to rid myself of nerves. Quickly, I snatched the parchment from its lap and took  _ several  _ steps away from it. I began to read it as I leaned against the massive doors and raised my brows. “Interesting indeed….” I mumbled. It was a letter signed by Henry Avery himself. He threw Tew under the bus for stealing the treasure and blew the dam to cover their tracks. He mentioned moving the riches through a passage in the manor and that was all I needed to see. I had to find Sam and Rafe.

I found them wandering around a room that I had mentally deemed absolutely useless now that I’d found the letter. Sam was looking through a few books on the wall, a cigarette hanging between his lips as Rafe took in the view from a broken window. I took a deep breath before entering and went to Sam first. “Lookit. I think I found somethin’.” I told him, tapping the paper with my finger. “Betrayed  _ thrice. _ ” He furrowed his brows, closing the book quickly as he took the parchment from my hands. He squinted his eyes, straining them as he read and his eyebrows shot up almost immediately. He looked up at me with a grin and took the cigarette from his lips before wrapping his hand around my head to bring me in for a quick but sweet kiss on my sore lips.

“Well look at you. We’ll make a proper treasure hunter outta you yet, sweetheart.” He said, then kissing my forehead before stalking over to Rafe and letting him read the letter as well. Sam gestured to me and Rafe’s face softened in amusement.

“Where did you find this?” He asked, approaching me as he raised the letter in his hand.

“Hallway, two doors down. I didn’t go any further but I feel like I’m onto somethin’.” I informed him.

“Show me.” He ordered, shoving the letter into Sam’s chest. Like an excited puppy, I sprinted across the balcony as they followed me and pointed into the hallway where I had found it. “Maybe the passage is here. Check the walls.” He said. Sam put the letter back down on the skeleton’s lap and the three of us began to push on every available surface. I moved paintings and armor and pressed on every spine and corner of the walls. Nothing. But there was another set of fancy gold doors at the end of the inner hallway. I pushed them open to reveal a large room. We’d found ourselves in what looked to be Avery’s study. A large circular with blue painted walls now eroded and covered by moss and dirt, a print marbled flooring muddy as ever. I looked behind me to see a stairway that led to a small collection of books on a balcony and before me was his desk and a few other things around. I began to follow Rafe into the room when Sam pulled me aside as we feigned curiosity of the room.

“We’re not stickin’ around for him. I’m gonna get us outta here. If Nathan is still alive- which I’m choosing to believe he is- then we should leave a trail for him to follow.” He murmured as his fingers ran over the spines of a few books on the walls. A feeling of hope panged in my chest and I was now anxiously awaiting the moment that we’d get away. I, too, hoped that my best friend was okay; That maybe the fall wasn’t as far as we thought or that maybe there was water to break his fall…

“It has to be here… Let’s look around.” Rafe said. Now that we were closer to getting the treasure, he was much more serious; more agitated, more anxious. We searched the room for anything that could possibly be a trigger to open the passage. I sat at Avery’s desk, feeling around underneath it and on its sides. Nothing. In our search, Rafe came strutting over to me with that arrogant smirk of his and I rolled my eyes as he ran his hands over my shoulders. I jumped a bit in the seat as he did.

“You sure you don’t wanna be on the winning side of this thing?” He asked me.

“Honestly, I just wanna go home.” I shrugged. “I could give a shit less about Avery’s treasure. I’m just watching you two have this petty pissin’ contest.”

“Such a shame you got dragged from home over this lying bottom feeder.” He smirked as he glanced at Sam. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I knew full well what he was trying to do.

“I’m not choosing you Rafe.” I sang as I continued to search the desk. He tightened his grip on my injured shoulder causing me to yelp a bit. Sam’s head shot up as Rafe leaned into my ear. I gripped my shoulder as a bit of blood seeped into my fingertips.

“We’re well past that, Sunny. I’m just concerned for you.” He mewed with sarcasm.

“ _ Heh _ , yeah. Sure.” I said, staring at the globe next to me. “Let’s just get this done.” I grumbled, shrugging him off of me.

I stared at the globe a little longer when I noticed that King’s Bay was facing me. I poked it curiously and the globe spun a bit. That’s when I heard a low rumble. I could feel it by my feet. “What did you do?” Rafe asked as the noise grew.

“I dunno…” I answered defensively. Sam dropped whatever he was looking at and joined Rafe and I near the desk. The sound of stone rubbing against the marble floors got louder behind me. When I turned in my seat, we all watched as the floor collapsed into a stairway. 

“Holy goddamn shit…” I commented. Sam’s face displayed a bit of shock and Rafe smiled. He pulled the communications device from his hip and pressed into it.

“Nadine, send a site team to the second floor. We found a passageway. I want the doors barricaded behind us and a team left behind to ambush anybody that comes in.” He ordered as he peered into the dark stairway. 

It all happened so fast. Next thing I know, the stairway is full of Shoreline’s mercenaries and lit to the nines with site lamps. Sam stood next to me, lighting us both a cigarette as we watched the crates being hauled in and explosives being sounded loudly in the hallway. As he went to put his lighter back into his pocket, it slipped by the fabric of his jeans and fell to the ground. “You dropped your—”

“ _ Shhh… _ ” he whispered to me and I was beginning to gather that he’d done it on purpose. But why? “Nathan knows what my lighter looks like. When he finds it here, he’ll know where to look.”

“You make Natey sound like he’s Batman Noir or something.” I chuckled lowly. He smirked as he tucked the pack of cigs in his shirt pocket. I pulled on the cigarette and let the smoke course through me as he spoke.

“He’s very capable. An idiot, but capable.” He smirked as he leaned on Avery’s desk with his hands positioned in front of him. The nicotine hit me just right as I looked into his hazel eyes.

“The very same could  _ easily _ be said about you.” I grinned at him, just as Rafe appeared at the stairs.

“Alright you two. Let’s get goin’. We still have a lot of ground to cover.” He grimaced. Just as we put a foot on the first step, gunfire began to sound down the hallway. Sam and I both looked toward the entrance, trying to assess the situation. That’s when I heard a familiar voice.

“ _ Nate! Watch the sniper! _ ” I heard. It was Elena’s voice. A wave of solace crashed over me instantly. Elena was here which meant she found Nathan-  _ alive. _ I looked at Sam who’s eyes had turned glassy at the sound of his little brother’s voice and noise making, relieved that he was safe. Rafe on the other hand was upset beyond all reason.

“ _ Close those doors! _ ” He ordered the last few men that were going into the passageway. Then he grabbed my arm and tugged me down the stairs, pointing his gun at Sam. “ _ You two _ . Move it.” And as the last of us made our way down the stairs, they began to retract back up into the floor, trapping us all in the cold, dark tunnel.

  
  


We traveled through the tunnels very carefully, leaving teams of Shoreline behind as we went. God knows what was even down there. I was forced to walk in front of Rafe as he kept his gun on me. Hell, I didn’t know where I was going. We traveled and pushed through trials of exploding floorboards. I tried my best not to shit myself as I watched Sam figure it out on the first try. Once we’d make it through a place successfully, the idiots that held us captive would blow up and cave in the entrances towards the safe passages. I knew it’d be a little harder for Nathan and Elena to get through but I also knew that this was nothing compared to what we’d done in the past. ‘ _ I’ll take exploding floorboards over Yetis in Tibet ANY TIME! _ ’ I thought as I remembered the massive hairy beasts from a job we’d done several years ago. As the crew sat down to take a break, Sam went up ahead with another mercenary to scout a path. When he returned he stood next to me as he lit two cigarettes by a flare, handing one to me and crouching down to look at me.

“I might’ve found an opportunity. Remember those mummies from the tower?” He asked me. I rolled my eyes, recalling the wrapped and exploding sacks of bones. I nodded as I listened to him and took a drag of my cigarette. “There’s an off path up ahead. Littered with ‘em. We could send them in—”

“Hopefully they get blocked in from the explosions?” I asked with widened eyes as I understood what he was telling me.

“‘Good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise.’” He quoted me, pinching my cheeks with a smirk. I blushed and looked down to pick the dirt from my nails, smoke dancing around us both as he sat down beside me. “I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”

“Me too… What do you wanna eat if we get outta New Devon?” I asked.

“ _ When _ we get outta New Devon… I’m thinkin’ a nice steak? Maybe a burger?”

“Mmm… I’d shoot ten people for a Wendy’s burger right now…” I grumbled and he gave an airy laugh.

“Naw, I’m talkin’ like a thick… juicy, well seasoned burger like the kind you can only make at home. And I’m talkin’ the whole deal, okay- Cheese, onion, tomato, lettuce, pickles—”

“Ugh. Ya lost me at pickles—”

“You don’t like pickles?”

“ _ God _ no, you can have them.” I chuckled when suddenly, gunfire began to echo throughout the cave. We both stood, snapping our gazes in the direction we’d just left. “Natey…” I whispered just loud enough for the two of us to hear.

“I hope he kicks their asses.” Sam said bluntly as Rafe powered through the swarm of mercenaries, pointing their guns down the hall.

“Let’s move!” He called and he pushed us towards the front.

We moved rather quickly and as I looked at Sam, he seemed to be getting nervous. He grabbed a hold of my wrist and pulled me closer as we walked a few feet behind Rafe and Nadine. “We have to split from them  _ now. _ I’m about to send them straight into one of the mummy rooms.” He said as I slickly watched him snatch a grenade from a man’s utility belt and shove it into his pocket. “We need a diversion.” I looked around me. Trying to look for anything I could use. Trying to think, I tripped over a small rock and stubbed my toe. 

“Fuck!” I exclaimed briefly and the idea struck almost immediately as Sam wrapped an arm around my waist to catch me. The moment he looked in my eyes, I could tell he was thinking the same thing. In the chaos, we began to run together and I tripped myself on purpose this time. The fall was a little tougher than I expected but I was fine. “Goddammit!” I shouted loudly. Rafe looked back to see me coddling my ankle. Sam dropped to his knees to “check me out” as he started towards us.

“What the hell happened?!” He asked in irritation. Sam feigned a look of worry on his face as he spoke.

“She twisted her ankle real bad—”

“So then leave her! We don’t have time for this—”

“ _ Screw that!  _ After all we’ve been through,  _ I’m not leavin’ her. _ ” Sam growled, staring at him incredulously. Even though it was pretend, that reaction was  _ very  _ real. I fake cried to the best of my abilities, hollering in pain. I even shed a little tear as he threw my arm over his shoulder. “I’ve got her, you go ahead! We’ll be right behind you!” He told him, pushing him away roughly as he began to pick me up. “ _ Go! _ ” He snapped. Rafe roared as he ripped his fingers through his hair.

“Don’t let them outta your sight!” He pointed at the mercenaries behind us as he ran ahead. And just as he ordered, they pointed their guns at us.

As Rafe and Nadine ran further and further ahead, Sam began to slow down his pace. “We got one chance, Sam. Don’t fuck it up.” I mumbled into his neck.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I got a plan. Can you kick a couple asses for me?” He whispered. I smirked.

“I want the guy with the big gun.” I told him with a grin as his slow pace came into a halt. He grunted as he dropped me, digging into his pocket and pulling the pin. Just as Rafe looked back to check on us, Sam had already thrown the grenade.

“ _ GODDAMMIT— NO! _ ” Rafe shouted just before the explosion sounded and collapsed the entrance into the room. ‘ _ Yes! _ ’ I thought to myself as I turned my gaze to the mercenaries who were unfortunate enough to be stuck with us. They were about to get the rudest beat down in history...


	20. Chapter 20

**_Sam’s POV_ **

Bullets whizzed by our heads, not one landed a target but we got cut up to hell; grazed on the cheek, the shoulder, a leg. We escaped the cave, successfully leading Rafe and Shoreline into a trap and now we were fighting to be free. They weren’t going to let us go without a fight though. At the exit of this cave was an astounding fleet of pirate ships, floating in the sea; docked and untouched. A ship graveyard. The masts all tattered and torn, bellowing in the salty wind as a thick fog covered the water surrounding the war damaged boats. Sunny and I were checking a few of them out actually before they showed up, spraying their bullets and destroying the beautiful handiwork more than they already were. We were hiding behind a barrier, sending out shots as best as we could. But there were too many. “We’re pinned!” Sunny yelled above the gunfire.

“ _ Jesus! _ These guys just keep comin’!” I hollered. We climbed to the upper deck of the ship to hide behind the railings but it was so weak, the bullets ripped right through it. It wouldn’t hold for long and we needed a better spot. We shot as much as we could but the both of us ran out of ammo within seconds. As I watched a man with a Gatling gun appear, I knew then that we probably weren’t going to make it. I looked at Sunny as she covered her head with her arms. She was scared, shaking. Which meant she couldn’t see a way out of this either. I grabbed her hand and called to her calmly, trying to put a smile on my face to comfort her. 

“Sweetheart—”

“We  _ have  _ to find another way out, Sam.  _ This can’t be it— _ ” She shouted. She was panicking and I could see it on her face. There were no more options.

“SUNNY!” I snapped and she stared at me. I reached out and touched her cheek, rubbing my thumb over her soft cheekbone and admired her brown eyes. Her face wasn’t a bad choice for the last thing I see right before I croaked. “I’m so sorry. Really I am… I wish this wasn’t happening right now… I—” Rapidly, the rounds of the Gatling gun fired, continued cutting through the wood like paper. Sunny suddenly grabbed her thigh and cried out. I crawled over to her to see what had happened, cradling her face a tears spilled over her roughed up face contorted in pain. She’d been hit. The poor girl, twice in one day. I hated it. I hated that she was getting hurt. And I was upset for the moment that she hadn’t listened when I told her to go. Maybe if I was a little meaner about it, she would’ve left and she wouldn’t have been here. I began filling my head with a bunch of what if’s; taking my denim shirt off and tying it around her leg, trying to put pressure on the wound in her thigh. She screamed out in pain as the fabric tied over her wound and I winced. “I know, sweetheart, I’m sorry.” I told her. Almost as soon as it started, it stopped. Gunfire was still sounding but no longer in our direction. I sat up to look over the railing and swinging from his rope like Tarzan, taking people out with his beloved wife was none other than my little brother. 

“Nathan…” I murmured and Sunny sat up with a groan.

“Natey?! NATE!! ELENA!!” She exclaimed as she laid eyes on a pair of her closest pals. We watched as he swung onto a platform, ducking and aiming for heads. Elena noticed us and waved as she worked her way around the perimeter, knocking out mercenaries and stealing guns. When she got closer, she threw them as far as she possibly could. They didn’t make it to us but it was a close enough distance and I could make it. Adrenaline pumping, I placed a hand on Sunny’s cheek as I started to stand up.

“I’m coming  _ right  _ back!” I told her and she nodded, telling me to be careful.

I jumped over the railing and ran towards the two machine guns she threw, firing a few shots as I made my way back. Sunny sat up a little straighter at the sight of the heavy artillery. “Are you ok to shoot?” I asked Sunny as I handed her a gun.

“I got shot in the leg, not my hands.” She replied with a smirk, cocking her gun and making sure it wasn’t jammed.

“But your shoulder…” I said worriedly.

“Left shoulder. My right is workin’  _ just _ fine.” She chuckled, obviously excited that things were looking up. She grunted as she rested herself on one knee and peered over the railing to peep through the scope. She began to take out Shoreliners one by one and I hopped over the railing to shoot a couple myself.

We cleared the area of mercenaries and I watched in relief as Nathan and Elena ran over to our ship. “Hey, little brother!” I looked down with a grin and pushed a rope ladder down for them to climb. “ _ Jesus _ , you are a sight for sore eyes!” I watched my brother climb up and I hugged him tight. “We thought you were a goner.” He gave a half assed hug as I nodded at Elena. They were both pissed and it was absolutely warranted. I pointed towards Sunny who was slouching against the rails with a gun in her hands. “She got hit.” I told them and they both rushed to her side. Nathan hugged her tightly as she cried, holding his roughed up face in her hands; spewing off about how she thought he was dead and how she missed him for those lost three hours. Elena checked her leg out and sighed in relief.

“Jesus, Sunny.” She hissed as she looked over all her wounds.

“Jesus ain’t got shit to do with this…” Sunny grumbled as she tried to sit up. Elena chuckled as Nathan put a hand on her cheek.

“Lucky for you, it’s a through and through. It didn’t hit anything important—” Elena told her.

“Because that would suck…” Sunny joked tiredly. I smiled at her ability to find the humor in almost anything. Her face was beginning to pale from the day’s blood loss and my expression faltered. Elena could see that.

“She’s gonna be fine, Sam.” She said to me softly.

“Good. Good… so then. How ‘bout we get off this damn beach, huh? Before more of them show up?” I said, walking towards Sunny, lifting her small frame into my arms. 

Within a single step, the weak wooden floorboards crumbled beneath our feet and all of us fell to the next floor. Sunny whined as I fell on top of her.

“God _ damn _ you’re heavy as hell!” She frowned as I lifted myself up. 

“You alright?” I chuckled, helping her up and she threw her arm around me. 

“I’ll live.” She grumbled. I knew by now she really just wanted to get out of here and patched up. Just when we stood, Sunny’s eyes widened as she looked to our exit. “Guys watch it!” She exclaimed, pushing me roughly towards the wall. I pulled her along, holding her close as a grenade soared by and blew up the wall behind us. I looked at her, one of my hands cradling the back of her head as the other held her near.

“You just can’t stop savin’ me can ya?” I grinned, my heart racing from the close call.

“I can let you die if you want?” She joked. She gave me the warmest smile, patting my chest and I shook my head in disbelief at this wonderful woman. I could’ve kissed her right then. More shots began to ring out, whizzing by us, and Elena rushed towards us.

“I’ve got her, go help Nathan!” She shouted above the noise as she wrapped her arm around her waist and handed me her gun. I nodded and took cover with my little brother.

We made our way across the broken ships, covering the girls as best as we could. Along the way, Sunny picked up a gun on our way out, extra protection for her and Elena. Even in pain, she would fight until the end; one of the qualities I grew to love about her. Just when we thought we were home free, the assholes showed up with RPGs and snipers. It was a little rough but we were fine until we got separated from Nathan again. A cannon knocked him into the water as half of the ship broke off and began to sink. “Nate!” His wife shouted but he hadn’t come up as the back of the ship disappeared beneath the blue waters. 

“He’s fine, Elena! That’s nothing— we need to get outta here now!” Sunny told her. She shook her head but ultimately decided to push on. Sunny, Elena, and I were on our own.

“The plane’s this way!” She told us. And I covered the two of them all the way to the shore. Nathan managed to get tailed by an armored truck in the meantime. But just as we reached the docks, Victor came running up the stoney stairs with a massive RPG, blowing the truck up behind him as he made his escape.

He climbed up the wall with Victor’s help and the  _ moment _ Elena laid eyes on him, she looked at Sunny. She nodded and pushed her towards him, balancing herself on her good leg. I came up behind her to keep her steady and join them as Elena embraces her husband. It was a pretty picture. The two of them together, husband and wife… I almost ruined that for him. And I had nothing. Nothing but the fire to keep looking for this treasure despite all I had been through. Despite all I’d done…. all I put the people I cared about through… I couldn’t let it go. The turtle head shaped cave was so close. The treasure was  _ so close… _ I stopped myself and Sunny furrowed her brows at me. “Sammy? What’s up?” She asked me quietly. I narrowed my eyes, staring nowhere in particular and cleared my throat.

“It’s...nothing…” I told her, tapping my fingers on her hip. “Let’s get you outta here, eh sweetheart?” With that, I lifted her bridal style and walked her over to the crew.

“Sully!” Sunny exclaimed, getting down and hopping her way over to give him the biggest hug.

“Thank god, you’re alright!” He said like a relieved father as he embraced her.

“I told you I’d make it out!” She grinned as he took a step back, noticing her injuries.

“ _ Jesus _ , kid…” he said, gesturing to her leg.

“Obviously, not without a few scratches and bruises… Things would’ve been worse if it weren’t for Sam…” she said looking back at me with a smile. Right then, everyone’s attention was directed towards me. I looked at them all, treading lightly and as I approached. I gave a small wave as Nathan approached me. I looked all over his face, trying to find a semblance of something appropriate to say. I parted my lips but nothing came out for the first three seconds.

“So uh… how’d you guys lose Rafe?” He started.

“Ah. Well with the help of your rather lovely best friend, we led him and Shoreline right into one of Avery’s traps.” I said with a nervous smile. My brother forced a chuckle.

“Heh… nice work.” He said shortly before turning but I put a hand on his shoulder. I  _ needed _ to apologize.

“Nate…. about the whole Alcázar thing—” I began but Nate held his hand up to stop me.

“We’ll have plenty of time for that later.” He said before turning to Victor. “Which way is the plane?”

“Off the beach, just on the other side of town.” He said pointing in a general direction. Victor wrapped his arm around Sunny’s waist and she leaned against him, beginning to hop as everyone headed that way.

“I hope all this racket didn’t attract any more Shoreline attention—” Elena commented before I stopped them.

“Woah, wait… What are we doin’?” I asked. It was happening just as I thought. They were quitting. Just like that...

“Whaddya mean ‘what are we doin’? We’re gettin’ the hell off of this rock!” Victor told me and at that moment, I decided to make a choice that could possibly ruin my connection to these amazing and strong people…

“W-We  _ could  _ do that…  _ or _ …” I pointed to the cave we found that morning in the opposite direction. “We could head in  _ that _ direction… which is a shortcut.” Victor narrowed his eyes and let go of Sunny for a moment, taking a step towards me.

“A shortcut to what?” He asked daringly, for the sake of it. He already knew what I was talking about. He just wanted to hear me say it.

“Avery’s treasure.” I said soft yet bold tone. The looks on everyone’s faces was so tired; tired of being shot at, tired of struggling, tired of me… But I pushed on. “I mean Rafe’s gotta go  _ all  _ the way around but we could just—”

“Screw Rafe!” Victor snapped. I was beginning to get annoyed and so was he.

“Victor, with all due respect, maybe just—”

“You just don’t know when to quit, do ya?” He told me. And suddenly I remembered what Sunny told me. ‘ _ Sometimes you gotta know when to pick up the gun and sometimes you gotta know when to put it down… _ ’ But I couldn’t put it down…. not yet. I looked at her and her brows met in the middle, her nostrils flaring furiously. I hung my head, averting from her gaze.

“I mean… we’re all here for the same reason right?” I asked but clearly I was missing the memo.

“We didn’t come after the treasure, Sam. We came after you and Sunny.” Elena told me, placing her hands on her hips.

“ _ And I appreciate that. _ I do. And I’m sure Sunny is  _ more  _ than grateful. But… we’re good here.” I grinned, gesturing to Nathan and I. Sunny raised a brow and cocked her head to the side. “And we’ve got the lead for now! We can do this- I mean Nathan, look. Look around you.” I said gesturing to the scenery of the ship graveyard with a beautiful sun in its beginning stages of setting beyond the horizon. “Avery scuttled  _ every _ last ship on this island. Y’know why?”

“Because he was hellbent on keeping his treasure. No matter who got hurt.” Elena replied for him with a bit of attitude. I scoffed and shook my head.

“No. Because he didn’t want anyone to follow him. Because he was leaving!” I said, seeming to only speak to my brother. He was the only one who knew what this meant for me. For us. 

I pulled a piece of parchment from my pocket that I had found while scouring Avery’s home. I kept it for myself the moment I realized what it was. “This is Avery’s map. And right under that cave is  _ his ship.  _ The treasure is on it! And it’s  _ exactly  _ where Rafe is headed while we stand around here arguing like idiots!” I exclaimed. Victor looked between me and Sunny. She hadn’t said a word the entire time, her face frowning the more I spoke.

“You _do_ realize Sunny is hurt right? Pretty badly. So no. No one is ‘ _good_ _here_.’” He told me.

“Sunny…” I said, reaching out for her but she wanted nothing to do with me. This might’ve been the final straw. It was exactly as I said. I knew I’d hurt her eventually. 

“What if he already left and his ship sunk somewhere in the middle of the ocean?” Victor asked. It was a decent question but the answer was obvious to me.

“ _ Then we find out where it got sunk _ . Nate… You and me- how long have we been chasin’ this thing, huh?” I asked, lowering my voice into a whisper as I explored his blue eyes with a heavy hope that he’d agree with me. “And no offense to these guys but… they just don’t get it.” I glanced at the other three and my eyes stopped on Sunny as they always tended to do. Her big brown eyes were glassy with tears, nodding silently as she pursed her lips and looked off into the sunset. Nathan took a long hard look at the parchment in his rough hands and sighed, shaking his head before pushing the old map into my chest gently.

“Actually… they do. Okay- they’ve seen this kind of obsession before—” he told me. 

“Oh my god…” I groaned to myself. I couldn’t believe it. I shook my head in denial and folded the map with a sour expression. This couldn’t be all there was to this expedition. He placed a hand on my shoulder and caught my gaze. 

“Sam…. We’re not those kids anymore. And we’ve got nothing to prove.” He looked into my eyes and searched for any sign of reasonability. I glanced at Sunny whose face was buried in Victor’s shoulder quietly. It pained me to do it… but perhaps she was right. Or Victor was right. It was time to put down the gun. I nodded in defeat, tapping the map in my hand with disappointment. I kicked the dirt around with my boots for a second, tapping the map in my hand before looking at the elder gentleman.

“Victor, where’s that plane?” I asked quickly, before I made another stupid decision. He nodded and gestured behind me.

“Right this way…” he said. And I nodded. I reached out for Sunny but she shrugged me off. She was hurt and it was my fault. I’d spoiled it. She leaned against Victor, hobbling away with him and I bit my lip sorely. “Are you gonna be okay to climb a little?” He asked her. She nodded with a sniffle.

“I’ll help you…” I said in an innocent tone that I knew wasn’t normal for me. I wanted to make it up to her.

“I’ll be fine.” She said shortly. “I can handle myself…” She never failed to remind me that she was practically Wonder Woman. I took a moment to myself to lick my wounds before following the group to the plane.


	21. Chapter 21

**__ **

**_Sunny’s POV_ **

‘ _ Fucking unbelievable… _ ’ I thought as I leaned against Sully’s solid body, his strong arm wrapped around my waist as we trekked quietly in the direction of the city. I sniffled a little as my eyes began to sting from tears. He would’ve left me. The way he talked about finding this treasure… In spite of everything, it was still the one thing on his mind. I began to grow tired from putting all my weight into one leg as we walked and Sully was getting tired from holding me up. I stopped a moment and sighed, leaning against a crate we began to pass.

“You alright, kid?” He asked me as the group stopped to look at me. I sat down for a minute and took a few deep breaths. I was exhausted and overwhelmed; mentally, physically, and emotionally. But I nodded anyway. Sam scoffed a minute before stalking over.

“You guys go ahead. I’ve got her—” He said to everyone. I frowned and pushed him away.

“No—”

“Shut up and stop being a bitch, Sunny. Let me help you.” He snapped abruptly, crouching down with his back towards me and throwing my heavy arms over his shoulders, scooping me up by my legs and allowing me to piggyback. He adjusted my weight on his back with a grunt and pushed on with the others. I contorted my face angrily as my head rested on his shoulder. “Talk to me.” He said.

“Why?” I asked staley.

“Obviously, you’re pissed off about something and I already know what it is so you might as well just say it.” His voice sounded irritated and that angered me. He had no right to be.

“Don’t start with me, Sam. Now is not the time—”

“So when is the time?”

“You—” I stopped myself and took a deep breath to calm myself before I said anything unsavory, wriggling off of his back. He turned to face me, his eyes filled with concern and annoyance all at once. I clenched my fists as I balanced most of my weight to the good leg. “I woulda helped, y’know? I woulda helped you get to Avery’s treasure because it’s what you want. Then I fucked up and got myself shot.”

“That’s not even  _ remotely  _ your fault, Sunny—”

“But hearing you tell your brother that I don’t get it?! That I don’t understand why you need to finish this? After all we’ve been through? That’s bullshit, Sam. Absolute  _ bull-shit. _ ” I growled. I laughed to keep myself from blowing my top anymore than I had. I felt a tear fall down my face and I wiped it away quickly, hoping he didn’t notice.

“Sunny… _thirteen years_ _of my life_ , I sacrificed for this _very_ moment... and to see it snatched away by some rich asshole who deserves _none of it?_ This was my mom’s work. _Her life’s work!_ I busted my ass, lied to my brother- I hurt you... And this faded as fuck coin from Scotland is all I’ve got to show for it. _I failed_ , Sunny. Nathan quit… and I failed.” His eyes glassed over a little as tears threatened to well up. He placed his hands on his hips as he looked at the group walking ahead of us and back to me. “All of this was supposed to be different…” I could see several emotions written all over his face. The discouragement and apologetics was clearly visible in the way his shoulders dropped. ‘ _What am I gonna do with you…_ ’ I thought as I my hand found his wrist. I gripped it tightly, causing him to bring his eyes to mine. I slipped my hands around his waist and my gaze never wavered. 

“It’s okay to fail. I know you wanted this for your mom and to make a name for yourself- I get it. I really do. But if you even think  _ for a second  _ that this is it for you… You’re so wrong.” I told him. A helplessness flashed in his eyes for a flicker of a second as I spoke. “This ain’t it for you, Samuel Drake. I promise you that. And some day, you’re gonna blow us all away with the greatest discoveries known and unknown to man—” I was cut off by the rough presence of his lips over mine. He cradled my face in his hands carefully as he kissed me deeply. This kiss was different from any other kisses he’d given me. This one was appreciative and desperate almost… Like he needed something to hold onto. I kissed him back, answering with a strange understanding. Everything he’d done began to make sense to me. I pulled away, running my fingers through his hair and brushing my thumb over the old scar on his cheekbone. I kissed his cheek before he hugged me tight.

“Okay… Let’s get the hell outta here.” He said and I gave him a slight squeeze before letting him go. He still looked like he couldn’t accept the defeat but he put me on his back again and pushed on anyway.

We followed Victor into an abandoned building and boy when I tell you I’d finally had enough of climbing, I’d had it. It was even harder now with my injuries. The crew basically dragged me around like an invalid for a time. When it came time for me to climb a high window, Sam and Nate went to find something for me to stand on. They found a crate and Sam hopped through the window first so he could catch me coming out. I leaned against him limping as we found a ledge displaying a clear view of the sunset and a sky rail.

“Do you think it still works?” Sully asked.

“Only one way to find out…” Nate grumbled tiredly as he peered over the ledge to see a wooden platform. There was another platform a little further out towards the other side. “I just gotta figure out how to get there and then I can pull you guys across.” I looked around the area, still wanting to be useful even in my condition. 

“How about that beam?” I suggested, pointing towards the thick piece of wood on the far end of the ledge. Nathan hummed in response as he ran to try and push the beam a little bit over the edge but it was too heavy.

“Sam, can I get a little help with this?” He asked and Elena came to be my new support as Sam went to assist his brother. 

“I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed again.” Elena groaned and I absolutely had to agree.

“Tell me about it…” I smirked as we watched the two brothers work.

“Victor, can I borrow you for a sec?” Sam asked as he stood on the end of the beam to weigh it down and Victor did the same. “Alright, Nate, go ahead.” And with that Nathan ran across the beam and jumped down to the other platform. 

“Okay guys! Hop on!” I heard him yell and we all approached the sky rail. As soon as I stepped on it, I could hear it creaking beneath my feet and it gave me an eerie feeling.

“Are you guys sure this is sturdy enough for all of us?” I asked, stopping to look at everyone.

“For the most part. Up you go, sweetheart.” He told me as he helped me step up before I could protest any more. I leaned onto one of the poles that held the platform as I looked down at the rough waters crashing over sharp rocks below us. Sam flashed him a thumbs up when everybody was on and braced for the ride. We watched Nate throw his grappling hook to the bar beneath us and he began to pull, moving us ever so slowly.

“Don’t fucking drop me, Nathan!” I shouted as Elena tightened her grip on me. I could hear her laughing but I was serious. It was a slow and easy ride until the rail that held us began to slope. Our ride sped up and we were now quickly approaching the other side.

“Shit we’re going too fast! We need to jump!” Elena shouted and everyone readied themselves. ‘ _ This is gonna hurt like a mother… _ ’ I thought as I put all my weight into my good leg. When the platform crashed into the other ledge, all of us took our leap, falling onto the cobblestone roughly. All of us except Sam. He held on so he could get to his little brother.

“Alright, Nate, now it’s your turn!” He shouted to him. Nathan dropped from the platform he was on, holding on tightly to the rope of his grappling hook as he climbed up to meet Sam’s outstretched hand. “I’ll pull you up.” He called to him. Nate swung on the rope until he gained enough momentum to jump and catch Sam’s grip. My heart calmed when I saw he’d made it and that they were both safe. They were about to jump across to us when suddenly, the bolts from one side of the platform broke off under their weight. We called out for them as their bodies rolled and hung onto the top of the board. “Go, Nathan!” I heard Sam’s voice say to him and his brother hopped over to the side to jump over to us and made it just barely. Just as he did, another bolt broke off and Sam went swinging the other direction. A worried scream tore from my throat as the last bolt finally broke. Luckily, he jumped to the other end quick enough to grab onto a ledge and climb to safety. Nathan looked around for another way to get Sam across but there was nothing. I watched the panic on his face as it reminded him of Panama when Sam got left behind. He wouldn’t leave him again. Not this time.

“T-That’s okay…. It’s okay, just jump, I’ll catch you!” He said reaching out for him. Sam nodded and jogged over but when he reached the ledge, he stopped himself. My heart dropped. He was thinking. I watched as he glanced down at the gap that separated us from him, to us for quite a while and then to the cave for an even longer while. I knew what he was doing when he looked back at us with a touch of guilt on his face and an audible sigh. I could see how hard the choice actually was for him. But to the others…

“N-No… No. Absolutely not- don’t you even think about it, you hear me?!” Nathan snapped, pointing at him. He glanced over everyone’s faces, staring at me the longest; almost as if he were looking for my blessing even though we both knew he would’ve gone regardless. I didn’t want him to go at all. I didn’t… But I knew what this was for him. All that it meant, all that he’d put on the line to be here. And now he was put in this position with a second opportunity. He and I both knew that he might not come back from this one if he went on his own but it was a chance he was willing to take. My brows met in the middle and naturally tears swelled in my eyes. But I blinked them away with a deep breath and nodded. His eyes never left me as he spoke.

“I’m sorry I got you into this…” he said solemnly. He backed away from the ledge, looking at the others and then up at the cave. “All of you…”

“Listen- all that doesn’t even matter anymore, okay? Just jump!” Nathan told him, trying his best to keep his voice from breaking. Sam was hearing his brother’s words but the cave was taking almost all of his attention. My skin grew goosebumps as I watched him from a distance. I gripped onto Sully’s shoulder tightly as several emotions began to brew inside me. He placed a single large hand over my shaking fingers and a tear threatened to fall.

“Nathan, I gotta see this thing through…” Sam told him guiltily. My lips trembled as I watched him begin to jog away from us.

“ _ SAM! _ ” Nathan shouted, angrily. “Listen to me! If you do this, I’m not comin’ after you! You hear me?!” I could see that he’d already made up his mind. He’d chosen the treasure over us all. But I knew he would. And I knew it would hurt. I just didn’t think it would hurt this bad. He shook his head and began to jog.

“I’m sorry.” That was the last thing he said to us before disappearing into the abandoned city. A soft sob came out as I listened to my best friend call out for his brother. Elena ran to the edge and watched him go with worry etched on her face.

“Sam? _Sam?!_ _UGH!!_ ” I heard Nathan growl before turning away and pacing back and forth a moment. “That little shit….. Stupid… _stupid—_ ”

“Well we’ve lost him…” Sully said tiredly.

“He’s gonna get himself killed!” Elena commented before rushing to me to hold me up. I was leaning a little harder than before and I hardly noticed. “Are you okay?” She asked me briefly and I lied with a nod, trying to stay strong to make things easier on them. She knew I’d do something like that though. Just then I began to feel light headed and my body grew a bit cold. I stumbled, leaning into Sully heavily. Elena pushed back the curls that began to stick to my pale, sweaty forehead and whined. I was slowly bleeding out. I could barely keep my eyes open. She patted my cheek for a slight shock to keep me awake but it was getting harder to hang on by the second. “We need to get Sunny to the plane or she’s not gonna make it.” 

“Nate…” I managed to mumble. He turned around and briskly walked over to me, cradling my head to keep it up as he stared at me with his glassy blue eyes. He was hurt and upset. I knew that. But Sam was still his brother. Like all siblings, he was gonna do whatever it took to keep him safe. He was his idiot older brother’s keeper whether he liked it or not. “You have to go after him. He’ll die without you…” I whispered.

“Shh, shh. Save your strength, Sunny. I know. And I’m going to. I promise.” He told me as calmly as possible through the multiple emotions he was feeling. I gripped the spiky part of the front of his hair, playfully but not as roughly as normal. I didn’t have it in me.

“One piece.  _ Both of you. _ And don’t be too hard on him, ‘kay…” I told him with a weak smile before I suddenly felt myself grow extremely tired. Almost as if I had fallen asleep, everything went black. The last thing I heard was everyone calling my name like an echo.

  
  


I woke up with a sharp gasp. My ears were ringing and I felt a little disoriented. Hyperventilating, I grabbed my chest to catch my breath as two fat tears fell from my eyes. I felt a hand on my arm and I whipped my head around to be met with Elena’s warm brown eyes. “Hey, you’re okay, you’re okay… You’re on the plane and you’re safe.” My body hurt beyond all reason but I noticed my surroundings and the loud hum of the engines told me that we were in the sky. Up at the front of the plane, Sully was piloting intently. 

“ _ Goddamn _ , Sunny! You really had us worried!” I heard him say. That was two bodies accounted for. But Nathan and Sam were nowhere in sight. “You lost a lot of blood but it’s nothing a bit of hydration can’t fix—”

“Where are they?” I asked immediately, obviously not giving a damn about my own wellbeing.

“I’m sure they’re fine. Nate went after Sam—”

“How long have I been out?” I asked in a slightly panicked tone but Elena cradled my face to center my attention on her.

“Sunny!  _ Relax. _ If I have to wait for my husband to come back and do these dishes then you can wait to slap Sam for being an idiot.” She told me and I took several deep breaths before nodding. She handed me a bottle of water and I sipped it carefully.

“Where are we going?” I asked as I looked at the water below us, rippling against the pressures of the plane’s wind.

“We’re going to the cave. They’re gonna need a quick escape.” She said as she checked over my wounds.

“Is there any other kind?” I joked as I turned and adjusted myself in my seat. I leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees and rubbed my eyes. If I wasn’t so tired and hurt, I would’ve gone after him myself. And I’m sure they all knew that. But this was something Nathan needed to do. When I really thought about it, it had nothing to do with me at all. This was a job between brothers. I sighed tiredly, shaking my head slowly as if it would get rid of the massive headache that was beginning to come on.

“Hey… They’ll be fine.” She said with a hand on my knee.

“They better be.” I said.

“Ladies, you might wanna take a look at this.” I heard Sully say. The both of us walked to the front of the plane to see several Shoreline boats speeding out of the cave with multiple crates full of Avery’s treasure.

“Shit…” I said I saw them filing out and heading towards another end of the island. On one of the boats I could see Nadine but there was no sign of Rafe. “Where….” Just as I brought up the question, a loud explosion sounded as he brought the plane down to the water near a sandbar. Worriedly, I limped over to the door and pushed it open, Elena calling my name. I hopped out of the plane before the engine even cut off, tripping and falling to my knees in the sand as I watched the massive ship inside the cave burn in the distance. My fingers were shaking and tears threatened to fall as Elena came out to join me. She raked her fingers through her hair, her eyes beginning to glass over as she watched. “I need to know what’s goin’ on in that boat!” I screamed in frustration. Sully powered down the plane before hopping out himself.

“Did that ship just—”

“Yeah….” I croaked. I had never seen Sully look more anxious.

“C’mon, kid…” he mumbled under his breath, rooting for their survival.

It happened in minutes but to me it felt like years. Another explosion sounded; this one bigger than last. Thick black smoke began bellowing above the ship, high flames licking at the air. The pressure from the sound rattled the cave, causing many large rocks to fall as we watched the ship burn more aggressively and tip over, beginning to sink into the blue waters. I let out many sobs as I watched the cave crumble to a close. I didn’t know what to think or how to feel. I looked at Elena and stood to hug her as her eyes stayed glued to the nearly blocked off cave. She was clenching her jaw, shivering as she waited for her husband to surface the waves. I squeezed her tightly in shock, thinking that they didn’t make it. That this was the tragic end to the Drake Brothers. All of a sudden, when the sound of tumbling rocks and agitated waters settled, I heard a faint splash. My heart stopped when I turned to the ocean to see Nathan’s head sticking out. And then Sam’s head. And their massive bodies, powering through the waves desperately, gasping for air. The tears I had been holding back fell freely at the sight of the pair, safely swimming towards us. I groaned loudly, finally able to breathe as I shook my hands to rid myself of the nerves festering inside me.

“Nate!” Elena called out, practically running into the ocean to embrace him. Sam swam sluggishly to the sandbar and laid out in the sun to catch his breath as the waves crashed against his legs. He was exhausted.

“Good to see you alive, Sam.” Sully told him as he ran to the plane to grab towels. Sam just smiled faintly and nodded; too tired to use actual words at the moment. I crawled over to him, his head resting near my knees. He had a few more bruises and a pretty little scrape above his right brow. The scar on his nose had reopened as well but other than that, he was in one piece. I put a shaky hand out to caress his wet brown locks and his eyes fluttered open. He flashed me a dazed smile and grabbed my hand, kissing it. Suddenly something took over me and I slapped him. Hard. He sat up rather quickly, holding his cheek. I clasped my hands in front of me as I hung my head, sobbing. He turned to look at me and I expected him to go off but he just nodded silently.

“I deserve that…” he said lowly. I looked up at him with tears streaming down my face in relief that he’d made it out alive.

“Yeah, you fuckin’ do.... Are you okay?” I whispered with a sniffle.

“I got some piss and vinegar left in me! Well... vinegar anyways.” he chuckled. I scrunched my nose and smacked his chest.

“That’s disgusting...” I giggled lightly through my tears. He caressed my cheek and planted a firm kiss to my forehead before pulling me into a tight bear hug, practically knocking me down into the sand with him. His clothes were sopping wet but I didn’t care. I wrapped my arms around his neck and for a few moments as we laid in the warming sun, I didn’t want to let go. I’d almost lost him before I even got to remotely have him in my life. “Don’t do that again… I mean it this time, Sam.” The words fell out before I had a chance to think.

“I won’t, sweetheart… I swear it.” He said between breaths as I stared into his bright hazel eyes. I watched as Nate and Elena approached the shore and I stood to tackle my best friend.

“UGH! WOMB TO FUCKING TOMB!” I exclaimed with a smile.

“Birth to Earth!” He chuckled as his robust arms embraced me.

“You don’t get to do that shit again either.” I told him, slapping the back of his head. He smirked as Sully approached to give them towels.

“You scared the hell outta me, Nate.” He said, patting him on the back.

“I always make it.” my friend replied with a nonchalant shrug. I shook my head as I helped Sam stand and all of us boarded the plane. “Let’s call it a wrap, guys.” With that, we were on our way back to civilization.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: SMUT SMUT SMUT 💖
> 
> Also this is the final chapter and boy has this been an experience lol thank you to those who made it this far in lmao  
> There’s a sequel (I Like You A Lot) which I hope you also enjoy!
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/26555698/chapters/64735600
> 
> ✨Sic Parvis Magna ✨

**_Sam’s POV_ **

I laid across the bed, my limbs outstretched and hanging off the ends as I watched her pack her bags. We’d finally had a chance to get properly cleaned and patched up; and now we were getting ready to go home. At least they were… I didn’t have much to pack so I went to Sunny’s room, telling her everything that happened on the boat as we shared the last pack of cigarettes. Every time something unexpected was told in the tale, she’d give these ridiculous reactions and it would send pleasant sparks into my chest. “ _ I’m serious!  _ He got lucky! The ship had an explosion on board and the pillar fell on me. I got pinned and Rafe acted like he was the big man or somethin’.”

“Did it hurt?” She asked with a gasp.

“You try layin’ beneath a two ton pillar and see how you feel afterwards!” I laughed and she just smirked. “And then Nate fought him off while I was outta commission and… he saved me.” I grinned to myself. I was grateful. He had every reason to leave me for dead after everything I’d done. To have my brother back in my life again in all honesty was the best thing to come out of this whole situation. That and…

“Wow… so Rafe Adler is really dead, huh?” she mumbled as she sat on the edge of the bed, playing with the zipper on the sleeve of her white jacket.

“If he made it off of that boat before it flooded, after what Nate did to him? I’d be surprised...” I said, lighting myself a new cigarette. She shook her head and flicked the ashes off of her cigarette, her red painted lips leaving a slight stain on the filter. 

“Good. I don’t wanna see that spoiled rich brat ever again…” she grumbled. I posed up on my side and stared at her a while. She’d been here for me this entire trip whether I wanted her to or not. And I’m sure if I had let her, she’d take a bullet for me, too. It was so soon for me but somehow I still felt like I owed her my life. A few weeks ago, I couldn’t stand the girl but now I didn’t want to be without her. But like I said… ‘ _ It’s too soon… _ ’ She looked at me and I let my upper body crash into the mattress, never tearing my gaze from her. Even when she turned her eyes away, I kept on looking before breaking the silence.

“Hey…” I called tenderly. The moment her eyes locked with mine, I sat up and kissed her. I swept her up my embrace as her teeth tugged on my lower lip. After almost dying, all I wanted was to be as close to her as possible. A hiss pushed past my lips as her hand ran over a sore spot on my ribs. They weren’t broken but definitely bruised pretty badly. Apologies graced her lips, faint and warm as she pulled away from me a moment - but I grabbed her wrist, and with a gentle pull of her arms, she was holding me again. I knew my fingers were calloused, but she still leaned into them as I grazed her cheeks and kissed her plush lips. I peeled the white leather jacket off of her body and tossed it aimlessly before laying her on her back. As much as I wanted her to straddle me, her injured leg made that hard for her. 

I let my tongue dart across her lips, and a whine left her as she tugged at my brown tee shirt and pulled at it, lifting it over my head. She moved slowly under me, both of us heaving over each other, trying to take in as much of each other as we could while we still had the time. Her beaten and bruised body, black, blue and purple, was cool to the touch but with the humidity of the room and our bodies pressed so tightly, she was bound to heat up soon. The pads of her fingers graced the tattoo on my neck before a sharp gasp erupted from my mouth, deepening the kiss. Her lips moved along my jawline, then my ear as teeth nipped at the sensitive flesh. Her giggles sent shivers down my spine as I trailed my lips down to the juncture of her  _ good  _ shoulder. I could feel her smile against the shell of my ear as she paid extra attention there, my hands carefully roaming her thighs, hips, and back. 

“I just wanna make you feel good…” I whispered to her roughly as she pressed kisses along my shoulder. She gasped as I began to undo the buttons on her black floral shirt, revealing her dark green lacy bra. I caressed her injured shoulder lightly and left kisses down her stomach, unbuttoning her jeans and carefully sliding them down her legs so as to not hurt her but she still winced as the fabric brushed over her bandages a bit and I kissed her inner thigh to soothe her pain.

“Sam…” she whispered my name as she looked down at me between her legs. Her eyes met mine. Even with the feeling of need and want swirling in our chests and eyes, I detected a hint of sadness. I let my hands run over her hips and ran my thumb over the juncture of the bone as she sat up.

“What is it, sweetheart?” I asked. Her face contorted a little as I gave her my full attention.

“I’m gonna miss you...  _ More  _ than I thought…” she said, and I nodded as she continued on. “It’s not  _ fair _ … You come into my life like this and then suddenly it’s over….” I couldn’t have agreed more but I couldn’t stay. A hunger for more began to drive me after we’d found the treasure. But the feelings I had for Sunny were stronger than I’d ever felt with anyone in a very long time.

“You could come with us.” I suggested. I wouldn’t have minded having her around. I  _ wanted  _ her around. She quickly became someone I could trust with my life and someone I wanted to hold on to. Someone I genuinely enjoyed being with...

“I can’t…” She mumbled. I frowned a bit as my thumbs rubbed against her waist.

“So then... now what?” I asked her. She bent down to rest her forehead on mine and let her lips ghost over my own.

“Just let me be with you one more time…” she whimpered. I nodded, placing a hand on her cheek as her fingers played with the curled ends of my hair. She pulled me in for a deep kiss. One that definitely left a hell of an impression on me. One that left me wanting more of her. 

I slipped a hand between her legs, rubbing my thumb over her clothed clit and her breathing labored in response. I earned a small moan from her as our lips parted. I furrowed my brows in focus as I watched a moment of bliss wash over her face. I gently pushed her onto her back, clawing at her stomach and pelvis as I kissed the sensitive parts of her thighs. She let out a slew of profanities as I kissed her at a painfully slow pace up towards her wetness. I pulled her panties off before kissing her from her ankle to her center. With a languid tongue, I lapped up her juices, moaning into her flesh as I ate her carefully. Her back arched against the mattress and I could hear her cursing, crying for me to stop or she’d cum too soon but I couldn’t. Not without bringing her so close to the edge that she might hit me (which she did). Throwing her legs over my shoulders, her body writhed beneath me, hitting my folded hands over her stomach as I attacked her slit with my tongue, her body rolling into the wet muscle for more friction. Just as her hips began to buck, I pulled away. I kissed my way up her bruised body and let my fingers trace over her under breast tattoo as my tongue swirled around her pert nipples. I worked my way up to her neck and sucked hard until I left a purple mark there. A small parting gift from me.

She tugged on the loops of my jeans with such a need that got me harder than a diamond. With one arm, I flipped her small body over to lay on her stomach and left hot sloppy kisses from the curve in her back, up her tattooed spine, and to the delicate spots of her neck and shoulders; her soft whimpers prompted me to yank off my jeans almost instantly and run my hands over the shape of her body. She sat up on all fours, teasing me as she arched her back for me. I let my fingertips ghost over the soft skin on the back of her thighs before realizing something. This way would make me cum too quickly and this wasn’t about me. It was about Sunny. And how I wanted her to feel. I wanted her to feel every inch of me while I admired her entire being. Changing my mind with a Cheshire grin, I flipped her on her back and parted her caramel thighs before climbing in between them, hovering over her. I gripped onto her hip tightly as I stared into her warm brown eyes, sliding gently into her. Her chest rose as I did and I placed gentle kisses between the valley of her breasts. I gasped as I felt her tight wet cunt around my cock and began to move against her body. I wanted to take my time but she was once again making it difficult. 

She moaned, she gasped, she swore, and she begged. With each sound she made, I wanted to fuck her harder; I wanted her to see stars, I wanted her to cry out until she couldn’t take it anymore, I wanted her to pull me close as her body shook with orgasm. She wrapped her good leg around me, embracing me as she pulled on my curling locks taughtly. I growled in her ear as my hips drove into her, steadily picking up speed. I could hear her breathing heavily and literally whining for me to be rougher. “I don’t wanna hurt you…” I managed to murmur worriedly.

“Don’t worry about me, Sammy… Just fuck me.” She whispered to me. I hummed in response and began snapping my hips into hers, the sound of our skin slapping together and the squeaking bed filled the room as she cried out. Her name melted on my tongue as she began to tighten around my cock, my hand traveling down to grip her good thigh while her small hands clawed at my back, holding me near as I brought her closer to the edge again. She called my name in higher pitch and I aimed to pick up to a demonic speed, hitting that spot for her. And I knew I was hitting it when her grip loosened and her arms fell against the mattress loosely.

I rested my forehead against hers, wanting to see the light in her eyes as she came. I wanted to see her plump lips part when she came undone beneath me. I let my hands engulf her hips as a burn swelled in the pit of my stomach and a layer of sweat formed on our bodies. Her brows crinkled as her eyes closed but I placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her deeply, never ceasing my movement.

“Open your eyes, I wanna see you cum…” I mumbled to her as I gently grabbed her sweet face to let my thumb traced over her bottom lip. She licked at the tip of it, sucking on it as I continued to make love to her incredibly durable and beautiful body as she threw her head back. She was getting as close as I was. My mouth betrayed me with an audible moan and her back arched as a wave of pleasure rolled through us both. I shuddered and stared into her eyes for the longest as I realized suddenly that I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to be without her watching my back and me watching hers. “Sunny, I—”

“Shhh…. don’t spoil it…” she told me, pressing a deep kiss into my lips. Caught up in the moment, I kissed her back, nibbling on her lip and worshipping her face with pecks. I was at a loss for words. I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t sure what it was that I was feeling but it frightened the hell out of me. To be honest, I was kind of sad the adventure with her was over, despite everything I put her through.

“If I say you were the treasure all along, would that make me sound cheesy?” I asked jokingly. There was some truth to it though… She rolled her eyes and burst into a cute fit of laughter.

“Only the sharpest of cheddars.” She grinned, caressing my bruised cheek. It hurt a little but in her hands, I didn’t care so much.

  
  


We dressed ourselves after laying in each other’s arms and taking a small nap before we had to leave. It was dark out by the docks. The only people there were myself and the crew. Victor’s plane floated in the water waiting to be boarded and taxis sat on the curb as we all said our goodbyes. As Nathan chatted to Victor and Sunny, exchanging their goodbyes, I finally met my sister-in-law, Elena. Properly. She was a great gal and why she was in love with my little brother was beyond me. But it warmed my heart to know somebody was looking out for that idiot. I told her so many embarrassing stories of Nathan as a little kid at the orphanage in the shortest amount of time as possible.  _ Especially _ about his past aspiration to become a magician. I couldn’t miss a chance to torture my little brother one last time. He approached us with a nervous smile as I made her giggle with a short and lovely little tale about his bunny poop mishap.

“Aye, what are you two talking about?” He asked as Elena stifled a laugh.

“Just about your little magic phase.” She said bursting into laughter after not being able to contain it. I pursed my lips to fight a mischievous grin as he darted his eyes to me and groaned.

“ _ Oh, c’mon! _ ” He exclaimed, pushing me playfully. I wasn’t going to let him completely sink.

“ _ In his defense _ , he was actually pretty good.” I smirked.

“What was your stage name?” She asked, biting her lip to contain more laughter. Nathan looked like he dreaded giving his answer as his eyes wandered aimlessly.

“Nate the Great…” he answered simply. She was absolutely floored. My brother shook his head with a chuckle. “I guess we should hit the road…” he said rather awkwardly as he placed a gentle hand on his wife’s back.

“Well, Sam, it was... _ an experience  _ getting to know you.” She told me, extending a thin hand out to me. I looked at her then to my brother incredulously.

“What- with a handshake? No. Bring it in for the real thing… sister.” I said, opening my arms to her and her head barely reached my shoulder as she stood on her tiptoes to hug me. “You take care of this numbskull for me, alright?” I whispered to her. If my brother stuck with her, I knew he’d be just fine. 

She nodded as we parted and glanced at Nathan.

“I’ll join you in a sec…” he told her and I pulled my packet of cigs from my pocket as we watched her walk towards the taxi.

“Helluva girl, Nathan. And god help her, she sure as shit seems to love you.” I joked as I lit a cigarette. My brother chuckled as he stared at the woman foolishly lucky enough to be his wife.

“Yeah… so what are you gonna do now?” He asked me. I explained to him everything I was feeling and that ultimately I decided to see where life took me. Even though he was gracious enough to extend a couch to me. But I didn’t want to impose more than I already had. He knew where I was coming from and he nodded knowing what I needed to do. I hugged him tightly as we said our goodbyes. Looking over his shoulder, I noticed Sunny all by herself, sitting on the stoop of the docks and texting on her phone.

“Sam… don’t let her get away.” My brother told me simply, patting my shoulder before running off to join his wife in the cab.

I looked over at her and took a painful deep breath before walking over. I adjusted my pants nervously as I approached her, glancing briefly at Victor who threw me a wink. I smirked as Sunny looked up from her phone and smiled sadly. This was it. The part would really hurt. “Hey you…” I began awkwardly.

“Hey yourself.” She grinned as she stood.

“So uh… what’s next for Sunny Spurrs?” I asked her, taking a drag of my cigarette.

“Not much else to do. Nothin’ besides goin’ back to work…” she mumbled. I could tell she didn’t want to go back by any means.

“At the bar, you mean…” I said, shuffling my feet as I shoved a hand in my pocket. She nodded in clear disappointment.

“You sure you don’t wanna come with us?” I asked her, gesturing to Victor and the plane. “We could be the SSS!” I said goofily, punching her in the arm gently. She smiled widely and looked down at her shoes for a moment.

“As much as I would  _ love  _ to traipse the globe with y’all… gotta pay bills.” She said with a slight pout.

“Ah, Yeah…”

“Yeah…”

Not really knowing what else to say, I stared at her, taking a mental photograph even though I had several from Scotland and King’s Bay. A stroke of emotion struck through me as I lost myself in those big brown eyes of hers and I grabbed her by the waist to pull her close; kissing her rather passionately. She pulled away from the kiss as I held her small frame in my arms.

“I wish you’d stay… for a few days at least.” She said, caressing my cheek. I leaned into her touch, kissing her palm quickly and stepped away, tossing my cigarette and shoving my hands in my pockets before she made me change my mind.

“I honestly thought about it. But I..” Sunny looked at my face patiently as I searched for the right words. “After finally doing what I’ve wanted to since I was a kid, you’d think I’d feel a little more… satisfied?”

Sunny nodded, completely understanding where I was coming from. “You want more.” She smirked. I gave a nervous laugh and a shy smile, both tainted by a touch of guilt.

“Yeah… exactly. It’s like… I’m not done yet.”

“Nate and I have had our fair share of adventures over the years… You’re just gettin’ started.” She smiled, linking her small fingers with mine as she let her eyes trace every feature of my face. As if she’d miss something if she blinked.

I moved a stray lash from her cheekbone and ran a hand lazily through her hair. “What are you thinkin’?” I asked her. She pondered a moment and smiled at me.

“I’m thinkin’ that it doesn’t matter what I think. You’re a man of fortune… go seek your fortune.” She grinned, patting my chest. Her words were like a shock to my system. I covered her hand with mine and kissed her knuckles gratefully before she playfully pushed me towards the plane. “Go be great.”

“I’ll send you a postcard...” I said as I watched her walk away.

“You better.” She smirked as she looked back at me one last time and got into a car.

I began to walk over to Victor and light myself another cigarette. After my first puff, I turned to look at her over my shoulder with a smile. My life was just beginning...


End file.
